Without The First Couple
by ipodrocker16
Summary: The Bennets are about half an hour late to the ball at Meryton... Which leads to Mr. Bingley and Jane never falling in love. What would have happened to Darcy and Elizabeth without the romance of his best friend and her sister?
1. Not Handsome Enough

**Disclaimer: Well. I am not Jane Austen. SHE owns Pride and Prejudice. And Mr. Darcy. Not me. There! HAPPY NOW?**

**A/N: Well, this is a new story I'm starting! I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this, so updates might take a long time, especially since I'm busy with school and volleyball. I'm just going to warn you, THIS IS NOT A BINGLEY/ JANE STORY. I love them, but I was wondering how Darcy and Elizabeth's epic romance would do if their friend and sister had never fallen in love. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this!**

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><p>Elizabeth Bennet walked into the Meryton assembly in a relatively bad mood. Her mother and two youngest sisters had spent the past two hours fussing about what to wear to the ball, making the whole Bennet family late. She glanced at her sister Jane, who had almost reached the point of admitting she was impatient to leave, which showed how angry she was. Elizabeth however, had no reason not to tell them that she was mad and wanted to arrive on time. Now, half an hour late, she was in a completely irritable mood.<p>

As she scanned the room, she saw all their neighbors dancing and having a good time, which brought a fond smile to her face. Sir William Lucas, the master of Lucas Lodge, came over to greet his friends.

"Mrs. Bennet, Miss Bennets, welcome! Whatever took you so long?"

Elizabeth scowled and glanced towards Mrs. Bennet and her two daughters, Lydia and Kitty.

"I'm terribly sorry Sir William, it seems that our family was especially eager to leave a good impression on Mr. Bingley tonight." smiled Jane, always the peacemaker of the large family of seven.

"Oh!" cried Sir William, and he suddenly rushed off to who knows where. Elizabeth and Jane shared a bemused look. Meryton was used to their mother and sisters' antics, and especially Sir William was patient with them. Was their delay so horrible as to make him take off in the opposite direction?

Elizabeth's fears were quieted when Sir William returned with a group of strangers. There were two ladies, and three gentlemen. The ladies were dressed fashionably, much too elaborate for an assembly in such a small town as Meryton. Elizabeth felt a rush of amusement when glancing at the taller gentlewoman's orange dress and peacock feathers on her hat. The smiling gentleman in front had to be Mr. Bingley, Elizabeth thought. He was a handsome gentleman with a pleasant countenance. The taller gentleman in the back, however, caught Elizabeth's attention with his fine figure and especially handsome features.

"Mr. Bingley, allow me to present the Bennet ladies of Longbourn." Said Sir William. Mrs. Bennet's head had snapped up at hearing the name 'Bingley', and pushed past Elizabeth and Jane to the front of their family.

"Mr. Bingley! How very nice to meet you." She said, smiling. Elizabeth groaned inwardly, knowing that the poor gentleman would now be an object of matchmaking for her and her sisters.

"Mrs. Bennet, it is an honor." Mr. Bingley smiled, and glanced at the sisters. "Are these lovely ladies your daughters?"

"Certainly sir, certainly! Girls, girls! Come meet Mr. Bingley." The Bennet sisters all came and stood in a line before the gentleman. "This is Jane, my eldest. These are Elizabeth and Mary, and my two youngest, Catherine and Lydia." The ladies curtsied when they were announced, and Mr. Bingley bowed to each one.

"I am delighted to meet you all!" He said merrily. Mr. Bingley turned to the ladies and gentlemen behind him, and stepped off to the side to announce them.

"Mrs. Bennet, Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, Miss Mary, Miss Catherine, Miss Lydia," began Mr. Bingley, eyebrows furrowing in concentration from trying remember all their names. "May I present my sisters, Miss Caroline Bingley, and Mrs. Hurst?" The ladies curtsied curtly and didn't even look in their direction as the five girls curtsied back in unison. Elizabeth already didn't like the women.

"And my brother in law, Mr. Hurst." They curtsied again to a large man who nodded then wobbled over to the refreshments. Elizabeth and Jane shared a look, conveying their thoughts about the clearly drunken man. Mr. Bingley had the grace to blush for his sister's husband.

"And ladies, may I present my friend, Mr. Darcy." Elizabeth turned her eyes to the tall man, who she found looking at her. When their eyes met, he quickly looked away. They all curtsied as he bowed.

"It is a pleasure, Mrs. Bennet, Miss… Bennets." Mr. Darcy said, in a tone that suggested it was anything but.

"Ah Mr. Darcy! How wonderful to meet you. And you Mr. Bingley, of course."

The men looked at each other in slight alarm, but it quickly passed. "Yes, indeed." Said Mr. Bingley.

Elizabeth was quickly becoming uncomfortable with the situation, as her mother was sure to say something ridiculous, so she turned to Mr. Bingley and asked, "Does your party mean to stay long in the neighborhood, Mr. Bingley? We were under the impression that you were only renting Netherfield Park."

Bingley smiled and said, "I intend to stay for the winter, at least, and then perhaps spend a season in Town. Although, I believe that Mr. Darcy will wish to spend Christmas with his sister and cousin."

Mr. Darcy, who had not been paying particular attention to the conversation at hand, suddenly found the eyes of the whole group on him. _What was Bingley talking about?_ He thought frantically. Darcy cleared his throat and said, "Ah, yes." Bingley quickly realized that his friend had been spacing off, and turned to the nearest Bennet girl, which happened to be Kitty. "Miss Catherine, may I interest you in a dance?" He asked kindly, though he did wish he had looked at the eldest Miss Bennet first, as she was the most gorgeous woman he had ever laid eyes on.

Kitty looked extremely surprised, and the rest of the ladies did as well. Elizabeth, however, understood Mr. Bingley's offer as something to distract them from his friend's lack of attention. Good riddance, she thought, if the man cannot even listen to a minutes worth of conversation, then I certainly do not wish to speak to him.

As Bingley walked away with a shocked Kitty, Lydia and Mrs. Bennet rushed off to meet and greet friends. The Bingley sisters had left sometime during Elizabeth's conversation with Mr. Bingley, as had Sir William Lucas, leaving Darcy with Jane, Lizzy, and Mary.

The awkwardness between the young people was evident, and the ladies quickly recognized that Darcy did not intend to speak with them. Jane and Mary were the shyest Bennets, and as Elizabeth was the outgoing one, it was left to her to initiate a conversation.

"Mr. Darcy, I hear you are from Pemberley in Derbyshire," Elizabeth said. Darcy looked up at her in surprise, and replied, "Yes, I am." He turned away again. Elizabeth's frustration with the gentleman was increasing. "I actually have an aunt who grew up not far from there, in the village of Lambton. Are you familiar with it?"

Darcy was surprised again, but seemed more eager to talk. "Yes, it is not far from Pemberley. Have you ever visited Derbyshire?"

"No," Elizabeth replied, "But I am to be going on a tour of the Lakes with my aunt and uncle in the summer. We are considering stopping in Derbyshire." Elizabeth was pleased with how she got him to speak, but grew irritated again when he simply nodded and pretended to examine the floor.

Luckily, the girls were saved by Charlotte Lucas. "Elizabeth, Jane, Mary! I am so glad you have come!" The friends greeted each other, and Charlotte turned to Darcy. "Mr. Darcy, would you mind if I borrowed the Bennet ladies for a moment?"

"Not at all, Miss Lucas. Good evening ladies." Darcy bowed slightly, then quickly walked away. Mary went and sat down by the older ladies, and Elizabeth, Jane, and Charlotte moved to a corner to talk.

"I see you have met Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy?" Charlotte asked.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Clearly, Charlotte. Mr. Bingley is very gentlemanlike, but I am not sure I like Mr. Darcy. He was bordering on uncivil."

Charlotte nodded fiercely. "You are correct in your assumptions. Mr. Bingley has danced nearly every dance, while Mr. Darcy has only appalled everyone with his rudeness and superior manner.

Jane looked surprised. "Are you sure Charlotte? He did appear rather reserved, but I was under the impression that he was merely shy."

Elizabeth chuckled. "Perhaps. I found him very proud, and merely polite, not friendly. No, I have no wish to be further acquainted with Mr. Darcy."

Elizabeth found herself sitting down for two dances, for the lack of gentlemen. She was watching Jane dance with John Lucas, when she overheard Mr. Bingley conversing with Mr. Darcy.

"Come Darcy," said Bingley, "I must have you dance. I hate seeing you standing about by yourself in this stupid manner." Elizabeth had to suppress a chuckle at the informal criticism of Mr. Darcy. "You had much better dance."

"I certainly shall not," replied his friend in a scandalized voice. "At an assembly such as this it would be insupportable. Your sisters are engaged, and there is not another woman in the room whom it would not be a punishment to stand up with."

"I would not be so fastidious as you are," cried Bingley, "for a kingdom! Upon my word, I have never met with pleasanter people or prettier girls in my life! And several of them are uncommonly pretty. Eh?"

Elizabeth grinned at Mr. Bingley's praise of her friends, neighbors, and probably her own sisters. She was still very irritated, and growing more so, by Mr. Darcy's superior, proud mannerisms.

"There isn't a handsome girl in the room," Darcy sniffed.

Bingley rolled his eyes. "Darcy, we were just conversing with some of the most beautiful girls I have ever laid eyes upon! Or have you already forgotten the charming Bennet sisters? Particuarily the eldest Miss Bennet?"

Darcy stiffened. "I will not deny that your Miss Jane is very pretty, I grant you, but her younger sisters were lacking beauty, sophistication, and manners."

Elizabeth was very offended at the insult directed towards her and her family, but the criticism was not over yet.

Bingley's eyes narrowed. "I have no preference to Miss Jane, though she is very beautiful. As for her younger sisters, that is the grossest falsehood I have ever heard! I danced with Miss Catherine, and found her very agreeable and beautiful. Miss Lydia is energetic and is equally as pretty, and Miss Mary is very beautiful in her own way!" he argued.

The unmentioned Bennet sister smiled at Bingley's forceful defense of her sisters. He even complimented Mary!

Mr. Bingley looked around the room. "And let us not forget the second Bennet sister, Miss Elizabeth. She is perhaps as beautiful as Jane, and would be a splendid partner for you to dance with. Look, there she is, sitting right there behind you."

Darcy turned and looked at her for a moment, till catching her eye, he withdrew his own and coldly said, "She is tolerable I suppose, but not handsome enough to tempt me. Bingley I am in no humor to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men."

Elizabeth felt fury rise in her. How dare he speak of her in such a way! As if he had a right to say such horrid things! She was left with no cordial feelings towards him, and wished to hear no more of the conversation. Elizabeth Bennet promptly stood up, and walked towards Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy, who were somewhat blocking her path to Charlotte.

"Pardon me, gentlemen." She said coldly. They both turned to her in surprise, and at seeing whom it was, turned bright red. They parted to the side for her and she felt their eyes on her as she filled a glass with wine and made her way over to her friend.

"Hello Lizzy!" Charlotte said cheerfully, until seeing Elizabeth's face. "Is something the matter?"

In a huff, Elizabeth related to Charlotte all she had heard. Charlotte was scarcely less upset than Elizabeth herself. "Upon my word, how can he call himself a gentleman!"

"Oh yes," agreed Elizabeth, her voice filled with venom, "Mr. Darcy is easily the proudest, most disagreeable man I have ever had the misfortune to meet."

The women glanced over to the men, who were clearly watching and listening to the exchange, both still red, and growing more so, with embarrassment at clearly being overheard. Charlotte and Lizzy glared in their direction, and turned away.

"There now Charlotte, I shall just avoid Mr. Darcy, and all shall be well." Elizabeth said, trying to lighten the mood. "Besides, now I will have a reason not to dance with him!" Charlotte looked on at Elizabeth, concerned, and at her friend's worry, Elizabeth assured her that she was not hurt very badly by the comment, and would pass it off as a joke.

"But Charlotte, we must not be rude to Mr. Bingley. His defense of my family was so kind, and so sincere, that I am sure he is the most kind man I have ever known." Elizabeth said.

Charlotte turned to her, with an eyebrow raised. "Why Lizzy, you do not fancy Mr. Bingley, do you?" Elizabeth laughed, as she most certainly did not. "No, not at all. I like him plenty, but his mannerisms are much too agreeable for me, as next to him, I must appear most rude and unsocial."

The girls laughed, and went back to enjoying the evening.

Over by the punch table, the two gentlemen who had been listening to the exchange slowly shared a glance. Their faces were so red, that they were attracting much of the room's attention, as the residents of Meryton were afraid that they were going to either faint, or explode.

"Darcy," Bingley began cautiously, "I believe you owe Miss Bennet a most severe apology."

Darcy turned to him sharply. "I most certainly do not! I spoke my opinion, it was her fault that she was eavesdropping on our private conversation!"

As he walked away, Darcy could not help the gnawing feeling in his stomach that he would regret his words one day.

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><p><strong><strong>AN: There you go! Did you like it? Sorry it was so long, I had planned on just having a simple ball that made **it obvious that Bingley and Jane did not fancy each other, but then the characters took control. :) I think I might need to clear something up: Jane does not have feelings for Mr. Bingley. Mr. Bingley does not have feelings for Jane or Elizabeth. Elizabeth does not have feelings for Mr. Bingley. Darcy, at this point, does not have feelings at all. NONE OF THEM HAVE FEELINGS FOR EACH OTHER. (Yet). Again, this is not a Bingley/Jane story. This IS a Darcy/Elizabeth story though, because you just CAN'T have a P&P story without the epic Darcy/Elizabeth pairing.**

**Anyways, please review and tell me what you think of this idea, if I should continue it, and what you think would change in the original novel if Bingley and Jane didn't fall in love. All suggestions are welcome, as I have no clue where I am going with this! Also, I have a poll on my profile about which Pride and Prejudice character YOU find the most irritating! Our contestants are Mr. Collins, Caroline Bingley, Mrs. Bennet, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Lydia, and Wickham. Please vote! And review!**


	2. No Lace, Food, and a Friend

**Disclaimer: This is FANFICTION. FICTION written by FANS. I am a FAN of Pride and Prejudice. Not an owner. (Sadly.)**

**A/N: (WARNING: REALLY LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE) You guys ROCK! Twenty reviews for one chapter? That's awesome! You all had really good points on how the story would change, and I am proud to say that I thought of everything you guys mentioned! Seriously, I spent a whole day listing problems and things I could do with the plot! I had a BUNCH of plotlines on a Word document, and picked my favorite one, which I hope you guys will like as much as I do! Also, I need to clear up a misunderstanding. THIS IS NOT A BINGLEY/JANE STORY. They are NOT going to get together in the end. The whole purpose of this was to see how Darcy and Elizabeth would fare without the romance of her sister and his friend. I love Bingley and Jane, but they aren't going to be together in my story. Sorry!**

**There have been some people reviewing that didn't get why the Bennets being late led to a plot change. Since Bingley danced with Charlotte first in the book, and then Jane, he wouldn't of been able to dance with Jane next since they were late. I'm assuming they arrive sometime around the two fifth or two sixth that Mrs. Bennet talks about, so he didn't get to dance with Jane AGAIN. (If the time frame makes no sense, please just ignore it!) Then he asked Kitty to dance to make up for Darcy's rudeness, and I'm using my creative license to say that Jane was full of partners for the rest of the ball, therefore she never dances with Bingley and the attraction simply isn't there. Also, I'm changing Darcy's insult slightly because I'm having him meet the Bennets personally. And let me make something ELSE clear: It's not BECAUSE they are late that B and J don't fall in love, it's because I'm simply not making them have romantic feelings for each other. REVIEW and tell me your opinions on this idea!**

After returning home from the ball, Mrs. Bennet described in detail everything everyone they had ever met did, what they wore and how fashionable it was, and their mannerisms. That took approximately half an hour, until when entering a speech about the lace on Mrs. Hurst's gown, Mr. Bennet had to cry "No lace, Mrs. Bennet, I beg you!" to make her stop. Then, she went into a rant about the pleasant gentlemen of the Netherfield party, and her displeasure at neither of them showing any of her daughters any particular attention. Mrs. Bennet was clearly the only person in Meryton who believed that there was any hope of Mr. Darcy marrying one of their daughters. She claimed that he was simply overwhelmed by all the pretty young women, which had rendered him speechless.

Elizabeth had refrained from telling her family about the slight Mr. Darcy paid to her, and the rest of them. She wisely concurred that her mother would humiliate them all by being severely rude to Mr. Darcy, and Elizabeth would rather have her mother showering the gentleman with her matchmaking wishes, than to shun him so terribly that neither he nor Mr. Bingley would ever wish to associate with the Bennet family again. Elizabeth did plan, however, to tell all to Jane later in the evening.

When Mrs. Bennet finally declared her "poor nerves" most exhausted, Elizabeth and Jane went upstairs to Jane's room. After relating the whole of the incident with Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley, Jane was shocked.

"How could he say such unkind things!" she cried. "He has wounded us all, particularly you, Lizzy."

Elizabeth simply laughed. "Oh Jane, do not fret. I care nothing for Mr. Darcy or Mr. Bingley, so I am perfectly at ease with the situation. Mr. Darcy has simply caused me to dislike him most utterly, as he insulted us most severely with hardly being acquainted with us first." Her expression turned to one of concern as she grasped Jane's hand. "Dearest Jane, you do not have feelings for Mr. Bingley, do you? For I know he claimed to have none for you, and-"

She was interrupted by Jane's laughter. "No Lizzy, I do not care for Mr. Bingley, or Mr. Darcy, that I can assure you. "

Elizabeth was relieved that she did not hurt her best friend's feelings, and went to bed. As she lay awake, she thought of how disagreeable Mr. Darcy made himself. _Well, he clearly does not deserve my, or anyone else's, respect. I shall simply avoid him the best that I can, and when I am forced to speak with him, try and be polite. _Content with her resolution, Elizabeth fell asleep.

Around the time Mrs. Bennet was complimenting Mrs. Hurst's lace, the lady in question was sitting in the drawing room of Netherfield Park, along with her brother, sister, husband, and Mr. Darcy. The group was also discussing the ball.

"Upon my honor," began Miss Bingley, "I have never met with such an uncivilized group of people in my entire life! Their manners were completely savage, and there wasn't a handsome woman in the room!"

Bingley frowned, but Darcy and Mrs. Hurst simply nodded in agreement. Mr. Hurst was asleep on the sofa.

"I must say I disagree, Caroline," said Mr. Bingley. "The people there were charming, and several of the young women were uncommonly pretty."

Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst exchanged a look that clearly said '_Charles has gone mad.'_

Darcy began to open his mouth to speak, but then remembered what happened last time he insulted the country-folk around Bingley, and shut it again. However, Miss Bingley was determined to get a reaction from him, and continued her attack on the citizens of Meryton.

"The only lady there that brought any notice to me whatsoever was Miss Jane Bennet. Charles, do you not agree?"

Bingley nodded and frowned at the same time. "Caroline, I do agree that Miss Jane Bennet is very beautiful, but many of the other young ladies there were as well. I am afraid that none of them captured my particular notice, however."

Caroline was content with her brother's answer, and turned to Mr. Darcy. "And you, Mr. Darcy? Did none of the young ladies please you?"

_That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. How could a mere country miss capture my notice? Not even Elizabeth Bennet's fine eyes were able to-_ Darcy stopped mid thought. What on Earth? Had her eyes stood out to him? Perhaps unconsciously, but he didn't realize or think about it. Darcy was also alarmed at his hypocrisy. As he was thinking to himself that nobody caught his attention, he ALSO thought of how someone did indeed catch his attention, the very person who he claimed to be tolerable. Darcy shook himself out of his reverie as he realized the eyes of the room were on him. _Why are they staring at me? Oh yes, the irritating peacock asked me a question._

"Certainly not," was all that the gentleman said. _There, now will Caroline just leave me be? _No, no she wouldn't.

She was dissatisfied with his answer, so she said, "I hear Miss Eliza Bennet is a reputed local beauty, what do you say to that Mr. Darcy?"

_What do you say to that Darcy? That he had no clue why, apart from her eyes? That was all. Otherwise, I stand by my belief that she is barely tolerable. Yes, tolerable. _For some reason, the word didn't sound quite right in his mind.

"I would as soon call her mother a wit." He rudely replied. Darcy felt a hint of shame, realizing that after insulting the lady and her family to her face, he was just doing it again behind her back. But it was too late, and to remedy the situation at hand couldn't possibly end well in the case of Miss Bingley, drawing suspicion that he had feelings for Miss Bennet, which at this point was completely untrue. So, Darcy was content to listen to the Bingley sisters tarnish the reputations of every last respectable person within a fifty mile radius of Hertfordshire.

Elizabeth was finding, as time went on, that she really did not enjoy the company of anyone in the Netherfield party, except for perhaps Mr. Bingley.

While Bingley was friendly and agreeable, he was rather dim-witted, Elizabeth found, and conversing with him was never very interesting. As for his brother-in-law, Mr. Hurst, the man lived only to eat, drink, shoot, and play at cards. Jane and Elizabeth found themselves bored with the man, as did most of Meryton.

The ladies were a larger complaint. They both had a superior attitude about them, as though their fortune from trade was no match for the landed gentry, who technically were above them in society. Elizabeth mentally smirked **(A/N: Yes, mentally smirking IS possible. You should try it sometime. It's like having your own private joke. Physically smirking is fun too.) **every time she had that thought. Especially towards Caroline Bingley, who never passed up an opportunity to make Elizabeth or her neighbors appear stupid. Elizabeth took delight in replying with comments of great irony that would insult the lady, if she understood what it meant. Unfortunately, the only person in all of Hertfordshire at the moment who was able to comprehend her comments was the insufferable Mr. Darcy.

The one thing she would give the gentleman credit for was that he was intelligent, and greatly so. Elizabeth guessed that Darcy was in fact cleverer than her, something she prided herself in. Whenever she had won against Miss Bingley, she would, out of the corner of her eye, see him smirk, or sometimes chuckle slightly. Also, when they had verbal battles, (which were very often) she would actually find herself struggling with a witty reply. This was a completely new experience for Elizabeth, who had always been the cleverest person in Meryton and the neighboring estates. Mr. Darcy challenged her, and she did not like it. His sense of superiority whenever he won was insufferable, and she despised Darcy's derogatory manner towards Elizabeth and her neighbors. All of Meryton hated the man, as his attitude had been so offensive that he could make even a simple greeting icy and cold. Elizabeth however, could not help but feel that they were over-reacting, only a little. As much as she despised Darcy, she wished that her fellow townspeople would try and be the better person for once, instead of stooping to his level and below.

At times Darcy could be agreeable, even friendly. When that did happen, albeit rarely, whomever he was attempting to discourse with would be perhaps even ruder than the gentleman himself had been. Elizabeth in particular noticed that his attitude appeared to change regularly, and wondered what could be the cause for it.

In truth, Darcy was bored. They had been in Hertfordshire for almost a month now, and there had been nothing but parties where he was forced to stand in a corner and sulk, while others were merry and enjoyed themselves. There had been nothing to distract him lately, apart from thoughts about a certain Elizabeth Bennet, but the only times Darcy spoke with her was when he mistakenly commented on a conversation of hers he was eavesdropping on which would only begin an argument.

There had been a dinner party at Longbourn, which Darcy had been reluctant to attend, as it would only be the Bennets and his own party. Darcy was almost positive that Mrs. Bennet would place him between two of her daughters, with no escape to Bingley. (That was true: Mrs. Bennet had only thrown the party out of concern that neither of the gentlemen was showing a preference towards her daughters.) There would be Bennets everywhere, and they all had their own reasons for irritating him. Two of the Bennets were flirtatious dunderheads **(A/N: Yes, I just made Darcy quote Snape.)**, one was a preacher in the making, another who seemed to have no emotions at all besides her serene stare, one a sarcastic old man who didn't take the trouble to rein in his stupider daughters, one a matchmaking, ridiculous, clueless, lady who wouldn't leave him alone unless he got down on one knee and proposed to one of her daughters, and one Bennet girl who was much too irresistible for her own good.

Needless to say, Darcy was NOT excited for this party.

They arrived at Longbourn on time, and Mr. Darcy, Mr. Hurst, Mrs. Hurst, and Miss Bingley had to fight over who got out of the carriage first, as they were all LONGING to escape Bingley's comments that he made every five seconds about how "excited I am too see our dear friends", or "Mrs. Bennet is sure to make a fine meal", and "why won't this carriage go faster?". The real problem was that Bingley did not merely say this about the Bennets, but everyone of their new acquaintance in Meryton. The rest of his party was getting sick of Bingley's excessive rambling and cheerfulness over the past few weeks. Darcy strongly advised his friend to be miserably rude to people so they wouldn't befriend him, but it never worked.

They had been situated in the parlor with the Bennets, and Darcy had no clue where he was supposed to go. Bingley had rushed around the room, greeted EVERYONE in it, and then sat down next to Mary and Jane at a small table. His sisters moved to a window seat and turned so they were blocking out everyone else in a room. Mr. Hurst promptly sat in a chair in the corner and fell asleep. Darcy scanned the room again, realizing that Mr. Bennet was not there. He made note of Mrs. Bennet in a chair near her youngest daughters, who were whispering between two chairs. Darcy quickly turned away from there. The only available seat in the room was… next to Elizabeth Bennet on the sofa. For some reason, Darcy didn't have a problem with this.

"Pardon me Miss Bennet, but may I take the seat next to you?" Darcy politely asked, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice. Unfortunately, this only resulted in his face looking grave, making Elizabeth slightly afraid of him. _Why can't the man just sit somewhere else? _She thought frantically, but quickly saw that there were no other seats, so smiled at him slightly and said yes. _That was easy Darcy, now just make conversation with her._ Darcy shook his head imperceptibly as he sat down. So now his inner monologue was giving him advice on how to flirt with Elizabeth?

"I noticed your father is not here, I hope he has not fallen ill?" Elizabeth looked up from her stitching, surprised at the comment. _Mr. Darcy is probably just trying to seem polite so he can be rude later. But his voice was so sincere…_ It was like a game of tug-a-war that she could not possibly win. "No sir, but I thank you for your concern. My father is in his study at the moment, and will join us for dinner." Darcy noticed the blush on her face as she said it, and came to the conclusion that she was ashamed of her father's rather rude hosting skills.

"Yes," replied Darcy, "My father always did enjoy being in his study as well." _Oh please ease the tension, please ease the tension, please ease the tension…_

Elizabeth smiled at him. "Yes, perhaps it is a common trait of fathers to have the need to escape their offspring every now and then." _It worked! Perhaps I should try to find more common interests with her as well… _But Darcy had never gotten the chance to test his theory, as dinner was called. Mr. Darcy was delighted to find himself seated between Elizabeth and Lydia. _Well, perhaps not Lydia as much. But Elizabeth… _Luckily for him, Lydia was too busy talking to Kitty to pay him any attention.

Darcy found himself trying desperately to get her attention, and could hardly believe himself when he began a conversation about books. _Why do I care what she thinks of me? The need to impress her is not so great, is it? _It certainly was great enough to make Darcy speak to Elizabeth although she was pointedly ignoring the gentleman. After a while though, she found herself intrigued by his attempts at conversation, and joined in. After they moved on to music, Elizabeth found herself enjoying his company, and wondered how it was possible. _Has he had a personality disorder? The man is very talented; he goes from a cold, emotionless rock to a fluffy cloud in mere seconds. Wait, did I just compare Mr. Darcy to a fluffy cloud? Honestly, I need to find better analogies._

_This is the most intelligent conversation I have had since we arrived in this wretched place! Elizabeth is actually responding to my flirtation- oh no. I have been flirting with the lady? I cannot give her false hope, that would simply be cruel. _Darcy then changed his face from a smile to the cold, indifferent mask he wore in public. He turned away from Elizabeth, and towards his food. _Was it something I said? We were simply talking about music… I said that I enjoyed Mozart more than Beethoven… Insufferable man! I shall think none of him._

Soon afterwards, Darcy realized that he had lost a good conversationalist. He tried to remedy the situation by speaking to her again after dinner, but only received monosyllabic answers as she embroidered a cushion. Mr. Darcy thought that he could enjoy himself if he had more conversations like his and Elizabeth's previous one, with someone he actually trusted, at least a little bit. The party ended in him attempting to smile as he bid her farewell, which she completely ignored. The slight hurt in his chest at her rejection of him was not so easily cast aside. Darcy thought to himself later that unless he could not speak with someone in the same liveliness as he did Elizabeth, then the stay at Netherfield would be absolute torture.

So, he decided to try and make friends. At least one person Darcy could count on to amuse him. Bingley would only stay with him at social gatherings for so long, before he got distracted by some local resident trying to speak with him. Darcy had never been an outgoing person. As a child he was shy, which prevented him from having friends, which led to him being a reserved teenager, and as a young man had turned to pride. His only real friends were his cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, and Charles Bingley. Fitz because he truly was the only person who knew the real Darcy, and Bingley because he was so friendly that he took pity on Darcy and befriended him.

Darcy had probably put too much thought into who his friend would be, but he wanted them to be perfect. He did not wish for a nosy busy-body such as Mrs. Bennet or Lady Lucas, and Sir William simply irritated him. Not a flirtatious female such as the youngest Bennet sisters, and not such a dull person as Mary. He wanted to befriend someone intelligent, lively, energetic, witty, with fine hazel eyes, and beautiful brown curls that glistened in the sun when she- Darcy stopped himself, realizing that he was simply describing Elizabeth Bennet. Well then. It appeared he was going to befriend Elizabeth.

**A/N: Okay, so a bit less of a jerk Darcy! You see, I made him bored. Then he talked to Elizabeth and was NICE! And he liked it. SOOO…. He decides in order to be NOT bored, he would make a friend! Slightly OOC for Darcy I think, but it makes my plot work. Anyways, slight sneak peak ahead: Lucas Lodge, Collins, and Wickham. I said slight, I gave you slight. Also, I don't think that my timeline makes any sense. I'm pretty sure Lucas Lodge was before they had been there a month… So for the purpose of my story: They come in September, and the end of this chapter is the beginning of October. And if it STILL is messed up, just pretend I'm not stupid. Don't worry, Darcy is still proud (too proud to apologize) and Elizabeth is and will be prejudiced. Thanks for reading! Please review! And vote on the poll on my profile; Which Pride and Prejudice character do YOU find the most irritating? And don't yell at me for long authors notes! And review! (Wow you guys have a lot of things to do…)**


	3. Tolerable? No, Indeed

**Disclaimer: I try SO hard to think of creative disclaimers! It takes a long time, and sometimes I have to steal other people's ideas… So I'll just keep it simple: Jane Austen= Not me.**

**A/N: Well, I hoped you guys enjoyed the last chapter! I am really pleased with the amount of attention this has already gotten! You guys are authors too, and you understand how happy reviews can make you! So please review! PS: I'm planning on having this be about 20 chapters long, but I'm not quite sure yet! I'm wondering what you all will think of my plot… LOTS of twists and turns... We will just have to wait and see! I hope you enjoy this, as it took a LONG time!**

Darcy took every possible opportunity to speak to Elizabeth Bennet. He would wander around Meryton, just hoping she would come by, which she usually did. Mr. Darcy was a very determined man, you see. When he put his mind to something, there was nothing that could stop him. And there were several forces against him. Caroline Bingley, for one. After the party at Longbourn, he would try to leave and see Elizabeth in Meryton on foot.

"Charles, Miss Bingley, I believe I will be walking into Meryton today," Darcy had said at breakfast the first morning. (The Hursts will still sleeping.) The brother and sister stared at him incredulously. Mr. Darcy was oblivious to this, as he continued to eat his porridge. Eventually, however, he noticed the lack of conversation and glanced up into their gaping mouths.

"Is my wanting to stretch my legs so very alarming Bingley?" He said irritably to Mr. Bingley. Bingley shook his head and said, "No Darcy, it's just, well, you don't EVER go into Meryton, let alone WALK anywhere. What do you mean by it?"

_Well, I can't very well go to Longbourn, as that would make it obvious. And if I walk instead of riding, I might be able to walk part of the way back with her._ Darcy didn't take time to realize that his thoughts suggested that he had much more than friendship with Miss Bennet on his mind.

"Walking is an excellent form of exercise **(A/N: Another story of mine! Technically in that one it's running that's the good exercise though… Please check out Excellent Exercise to understand the reference more!) **Bingley. You can only ride so often before it gets tiring."

"I suppose…" He replied suspiciously. Darcy rolled his eyes and stood up to leave, at the same time as Miss Bingley.

"Yes Mr. Darcy, you are quite right. I shall come with you!" She declared. Charles started coughing very hard, as he had been chewing when she made the statement, and his laughter almost made him choke. _Whatever Darcy's plan was,_ he thought, _it has most certainly backfired!_

Darcy paled slightly. Now Miss Bingley was going to disturb his plans that he had spent the ENTIRE NIGHT planning? Fate must be against him.

Eventually our hero was able to dissuade Miss Bingley from joining him, stating that the hem of her dress would certainly gain at least six inches of mud, which horrified the lady. That business being taken care of, Mr. Darcy set off towards Meryton.

Elizabeth and Charlotte browsed the shops in Meryton. After alerting Jane to where she was going, Elizabeth had snuck out of the house, unnoticed by her mother and younger sisters. By chance, Charlotte had been walking to Meryton at the same time, and the young ladies were currently looking at silk in a window.

"Charlotte, it is so beautiful," Elizabeth sighed, staring at an olive green fabric that she had been dying to have for months now. Unfortunately, it was greatly out of her price range, having been imported from India.

Her friend chuckled, having heard the speech every time they walked by the shop. "Eliza, either you must stop fantasizing about having a gown from this fabric, or marry a very rich gentleman who can afford it."

The girls giggled and Elizabeth took a large step backwards and turned around, accidently knocking a parcel out of a very rich gentleman's hands.

"Oh! I am terribly sorry sir." She said, gathering his things from the ground. Elizabeth stood to hand it to him, and saw that the man was none other than Mr. Darcy!

"The fault was mine, madam." _Have I been found out? But they did not see me following them, did they? Oh bother, what does it matter? I have an opportunity to speak with her now!_

The three young people stood rather awkwardly in the street, until Elizabeth felt the need to apologize again.

"Mr. Darcy, I am very sorry. I hope your package was not too fragile?"

Her voice shook Darcy out of his reverie. "Oh, no, do not fret; it was not fragile at all. I was simply purchasing some fabrics for my sister Georgiana."

"Oh!" Elizabeth replied, surprised. _Mr. Darcy has a sister? And he bought her a present? That is strangely thoughtful of him…_

"Yes," He said, glad to of sparked an interest in the conversation. "In fact, I believe it was the same silk that you ladies were looking at in the window, only in a pale blue."

"How lovely," Charlotte said. She had been listening most attentively to the conversation, in particular Mr. Darcy's words and expressions. _Could he possibly be in love with her? Mr. Darcy clearly looks at Eliza a great deal… I shall have to watch all their interactions. _

Elizabeth sighed wistfully. "I applaud your choice sir, in fact, the green fabric is one that I myself have been looking at with interest for some time now."

At the tone of her voice when she spoke of it, Darcy wanted desperately to buy it for her, but knew that it would be scandalously improper.

They stood silently again; until Elizabeth made an excuse that she should get some other things from her Aunt Philips. _It may be a complete lie, but I absolutely despise conversing with this horrid man! _

Darcy reluctantly bid them farewell, and continued his walk through Meryton. _Perhaps I could come upon her while they are leaving, and being the gentleman that I am, must walk her home to ensure she arrives safely? _Content with his plan, he looked through the shops idly. While Darcy was alone, he questioned his motives slightly. _Surely I cannot be wasting my whole morning just to have pleasant conversation with a friend! _He thought to himself. _Bingley is still back at Netherfield, why did I not just speak with him? _Darcy had a feeling that he knew the answer, but was afraid to acknowledge it. _Perhaps I fancy Elizabeth Bennet slightly? But that is ridiculous! Anyhow, even if I do fancy her, it is only a slight infatuation. Isn't it? _Just as the word tolerable, he couldn't simply put infatuation and Elizabeth Bennet in the same sentence without having a feeling of doubt.

After Elizabeth and Charlotte made their escape from Mr. Darcy, they did stop by the Philips, if only for a few minutes. After they left, Elizabeth poked her head around the corner to ensure that Mr. Darcy wasn't there. Charlotte laughed at her friend's antics.

"Elizabeth, you are being ridiculous. He was perfectly pleasant when we spoke with him earlier!"

Elizabeth, however, was still making sure that Darcy was not there, and seeing that he was nowhere in sight, sighed in relief and came out of her hiding spot behind the wall of the flower shop.

"Yes Charlotte, but you see, it is all a disguise. He has multiple personalities. Mr. Darcy appears pleasant one moment, and proud and disagreeable the next. We must not be taken in by his trickery and deceit!"

Charlotte stared incredulously at Elizabeth, her mouth agape, before she burst into laughter. Elizabeth crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently as she waited to regain her friend. After Charlotte was under control, she said "Elizabeth, I knew that playing war and pirates with my brothers when you were younger was no good for you!"

Elizabeth chuckled slightly, but quickly got back to the matter at hand. "Yes but Charlotte, why is it so ridiculous that we should be wary of Mr. Darcy?"

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Lizzy, is it possible that you are still prejudiced by Mr. Darcy's rude remarks about you at the ball?"

Her friend scoffed. "That is ridiculous! I do not hold grudges like that Charlotte. Now if you will excuse me, I am sure I have left Papa and Jane to deal with Mama's nerves for long enough."

After saying farewell to her friend, Elizabeth set off down the road that led to Longbourn and Netherfield.

Mr. Darcy had been watching the conversation between Charlotte and Elizabeth, though he could not hear what the ladies had been saying. After watching Elizabeth begin to leave, he decided that he would head back to Netherfield. _Perhaps I should apologize… But no, that is ridiculous! Regardless of what Bingley says, it was her fault that she was listening. And she is tolerable… Apart from her eyes…._

He shook himself out of his reverie and followed Elizabeth down the path.

Elizabeth seemed to notice that someone was behind her, and as she turned around, saw Mr. Darcy again. _So now the man is following me? No, that is actually ridiculous. This is the only road from Meryton to Netherfield. _She didn't notice that she had stopped, and Mr. Darcy was approaching her.

"Hello again, Miss Bennet." She attempted to smile, but it did not reach her eyes.

"Mr. Darcy, what a surprise. You are done in Meryton already, sir?" She asked as they continued down the path.

_This is a good start, for she is talking to me… _"Yes, I merely picked up a few purchases for Georgiana."

"Ah," she replied. The silence was rather awkward, and as she was not in the mood to walk half a mile with a silent companion, Elizabeth asked "And how old is Miss Darcy?"

_Good, she is talking about Georgiana. I can talk about Georgiana without awkwardness! _"Georgiana recently turned sixteen. She was planning to accompany me to Netherfield, but there were some rather, unplanned events." _Now I'm talking about Wickham? I haven't thought about Ramsgate for days! I cannot believe I let myself stray to this! _

At seeing the pain in his eyes, Elizabeth asked, "I hope that these events were not unwelcome, sir?"

_They were so unwelcome that I wish I had drawn a pistol and shot him in the face! _Darcy thought angrily. Of course, being the perfect gentleman he was, Darcy would not state these less than generous thoughts aloud, and rephrased it saying, "We recently experienced some trouble with a less than trustworthy man who previously had been very close to us, and she is slowly recovering from the deceit."

"That is very unfortunate," was all Elizabeth said in reply, but wondered what had happened that made Mr. Darcy so clearly angry. She decided that it would be rude to press further however, and attempted to change the subject to what he thought of Meryton, but Darcy had changed to what Elizabeth liked to call his "Stoic mode". _Cannot he make up his mind about which personality to use? _She thought angrily. _Then again, we had been on a very personal subject which clearly brought him pain… But that is no excuse! I shall simply ignore him as well._

Darcy was quite angry at himself. _How is it that every time I get her to open up to me, I have to ruin it? _He was distressed to see that there would be no chance to remedy the situation this time, as they were now within sight of Longbourn.

"Good day Mr. Darcy," said Elizabeth, curtseying politely.

"Good day Miss Bennet," he replied, bowing. As he watched her go back to Longbourn, he thought, _Do I think Miss Bennet is tolerable? No indeed. Is it simply an infatuation? _The last question he asked himself, however, Mr. Darcy had no answer to.

Darcy quickly learnt that Elizabeth liked to walk to Meryton rather early in the morning, and picked that time for his walks as well. He would sometimes encounter her on the path to Meryton, or in a shop in town. He enjoyed their conversations, as he would usually be able to make her open up to him after a while. Darcy found that she would be more willing to talk to him if he said something humorous, and would think of things to say on the three miles he was forced to take alone. He was coming to appreciate her company more and more, as Bingley was always out on social calls of some sort. Elizabeth actually found herself enjoying his company as well, though she was wary to trust him too much. Whenever he would show a hint of his "Stoic mode", she would cease attempting to make conversation with him and reply with monosyllabic answers to his questions. Dear reader, I do not want to put you under the impression that our heroine was harboring romantic feelings, or even friendly feelings for Mr. Darcy, for this is certainly not the case. Elizabeth would always try and leave at different times to avoid him, but it was to no avail. Darcy would eventually come speak with her in Meryton, and "conveniently" be leaving at the same time as her. Elizabeth's feelings for him had come from complete hatred to a simple dislike and reluctance. That did not mean that she did not enjoy their conversations. After years of having nobody of her intellect to talk to besides her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner, Mr. Darcy's good sense and cleverness was a relief.

If she was with Charlotte or Jane, he would simply enter their conversations and walk with them. The other girls simply spoke to him as if he was another friend or acquaintance, and were overall very pleased with him. It was becoming evident to the ladies that Mr. Darcy admired their friend, and they approved of the match. Whenever Darcy would slip and accidently be rude to a townsperson or go into "Stoic mode", he would quickly try to fix it, clearly for Elizabeth, they noted with satisfaction. Jane and Charlotte were rather annoyed with Elizabeth's reluctance to befriend him. He was clearly still the proud gentleman he had been when they first met, but Darcy was pleasant whenever he was with Mr. Bingley or the three ladies. Jane was coming to find that he was simply uncomfortable with strangers. This did not mean, however, that she forgave him for his rude comment about her family, although if he apologized, she would certainly grant forgiveness. But how could they get Elizabeth to feel the same?

The latest news in Hertfordshire was that the militia was currently residing there. Elizabeth was filled with embarrassment whenever she went into town with Mr. Darcy, as Kitty and Lydia were always there, flirting with the officers and whatnot. Not that she cared for his opinion, but she dearly wished that she could prove wrong his first assumptions about her family. Kitty and Lydia's flirtatious behavior was certainly not helping matters. Elizabeth had spoken with many of the officers, and overall found them a pleasant group of gentlemen, if not a little rambunctious when it came to her sisters.

There had been a party at Lucas Lodge, when she noticed Mr. Darcy's now familiar attentions. Elizabeth simply could not understand why he always chose to speak and walk with her, unless it was for the same reasons as her, that no one else in Hertfordshire was very intelligent. He had been following her around the room, always contributing to her conversations. She had been teasing Colonel Forster about throwing a ball, when she noticed he was behind her.

"Certainly Miss Bennet, as we all know you enjoy dancing," Darcy had said. After she made the introductions, Elizabeth was dismayed to see that Colonel Forster kept including Darcy in the conversation!

"And what would you think of us having a ball, Mr. Darcy?" The colonel had asked.

Darcy blinked, rather surprised at being spoken to. Elizabeth noticed a hint of "stoic mode", but he had been improving on his friendliness in the past few weeks that they had conversed every day.

"I believe that there are many people here whom would enjoy it," he said hesitantly. "I myself don't particularly enjoy dancing, but I do believe if you threw a ball, we would, in general, have a good time." Elizabeth didn't miss how he categorized himself with the other locals. They had all quickly gotten over his pride, as he had offended none of theirs in particular, as far as the townspeople knew. In fact, he had befriended many of them, including Charlotte and Jane. Mrs. Bennet was clearly harboring hopes of him and his friend Bingley marrying her daughters.

Colonel Forster looked as though he was in thought, and as Mrs. Forster walked by, he called her over.

"Darling, Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth have proposed to me the idea of throwing a ball. What do you think of it?"

The pretty young woman's face lit up. "Oh yes, please do throw a ball! In fact, Miss Lydia and Miss Catherine were both just asking me to throw a ball!"

Colonel Forster chuckled. "Of course, my love." He turned to Darcy and Elizabeth, who were both smiling softly at seeing such a genuine display of love and affection. "But I must insist that Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth open the ball by dancing the first, as it was their idea!"

Darcy and Elizabeth exchanged a rather startled look. _Will she dance with me? I hope she does!_

_So I have to dance with Mr. Darcy? Perhaps this ball will not be worth it… _Elizabeth quickly realized they had an audience, as Lydia, Kitty, Jane, Charlotte, Mr. Bingley, and Maria Lucas had joined their group at some point, and were eagerly expressing their excitement at a ball. Colonel Forster looked at them both expectantly, and Mr. Darcy turned to Elizabeth.

"Miss Elizabeth, I would be very happy if you would dance the first set with me." _Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes…_

Elizabeth sighed, as at this point she really had no choice. "Yes Mr. Darcy, I will dance with you."

**A/N: There it is! Instead of a Netherfield Ball, I'm going to have the Forsters give a ball! I had always wondered why they didn't… Quick overview of what happened in case you didn't get it: Darcy likes Elizabeth and thinks it's just a crush. The townspeople like Darcy now. Elizabeth IS TOO STUPID AND PREJUDICED TO REALIZE THAT HE'S AWESOME. Any questions? Anyways, I think Collins will come in the next chapter, as will Wickham. Remember, CREATIVE LISCENSE! And again, my timeline is clearly very messed up. I just had Collins ask Elizabeth out in my Pride and Prejudice and High School story, so feel free to check that out! Don't forget to vote on my profile poll: Which character from Pride and Prejudice do YOU find the most irritating? The results kind of surprised me… But since you don't get to see them unless you vote, I guess you should vote! And review! PS: GO HAWKEYES! [Theres the Iowa/Iowa State game today. Enough said, my author's note in Pride and Prejudice and High School is pretty much dedicated to it. :)]**


	4. It Is A Pleasure, Mr Collins

**A/N: Iowa lost. I've been VERY mad. Our defense was terrible. Cyclones really annoy me. Enough said. Back to FanFiction…. I hope you liked the last chapter! By the way: Tomorrow, I am going to Disneyworld and… THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER! I will be gone all week on vacation, and will not return until next Saturday. Then I will do homework all day Sunday, and try to get a new chapter written throughout the week after next. So there will not be an update for about two weeks, sorry! If I had another chapter ready I would post it too, but I don't, so I'm just posting early. Anyways, sorry for the inconvenience! REVIEW!**

Darcy was in a very good mood the rest of the week. Not only had Elizabeth agreed to dance with him, but she was finally getting along better with him! She stopped trying to avoid him on the way to Meryton, and instead greeted him with a smile and walked beside him, instead of her previous glare and walking ahead of him. He liked this much better.

About a week after Lucas Lodge, Elizabeth was warming up to him. She enjoyed Mr. Darcy's company, and only felt a slight amount of prejudice against him by his rude comment. He seemed genuinely happy to dance with her, and although this pleased her, she could not help but think that it was merely the pressure from her sisters, the Forsters, and Mr. Bingley. Elizabeth was concerned about how quickly her dislike was dissipating. Was this not the gentleman she vowed to loathe for all eternity? She worried that they were friends, and had not missed the comments from her neighbors that implied there was more than friendship on Mr. Darcy's mind.

In particular, a party at the Philips brought to her attention the expectations of her neighbors and friends. She had been conversing with Charlotte when Elizabeth overheard her mother, Lady Lucas, her Aunt Philips, Sir William, and the Gouldings speaking loudly about her and Mr. Darcy.

"But indeed sister, for every day the two of them come into Meryton. Indeed, Mr. Darcy escorts her to shops and through the whole town!" her aunt was saying.

"Mr. Darcy, with ten-thousand a year fancies my Lizzy?" Mrs. Bennet cried happily. "Oh I did not even know! But it surely was expected, as he is always so attentive to her. She is practically engaged! Ooh, all the pin money and riches and fine carriages she will have!" Elizabeth was mortified, as nearly all of the room was looking at Mrs. Bennet and listening to the conversation. Luckily, Sir William came to her rescue.

"Mrs. Bennet, I do agree that our Miss Lizzy and Mr. Darcy are good friends, but there has been nothing in their behavior to suggest an understanding." Elizabeth sighed, but that was before he continued. "Though it is rather obvious that the young man fancies her!" Sir William said, chuckling. Elizabeth turned to Charlotte frantically who looked at her in pity and slight mortification at her father's vulgar tongue. Something had to be done, and fast. Elizabeth stood up and walked over angrily to her mother's party.

"Pardon me, but I must have you ladies and gentlemen understand that there is hardly even a friendship between Mr. Darcy and myself, let alone an engagement. I would suggest to you all that you stop spreading gossip of the kind." Elizabeth's proclamation hardly stopped the gossip, however, but it was simply not mentioned in her presence. All of Hertfordshire was talking about the supposed love growing between Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth, however, was determined that this would not stop her walks into Meryton with him, as she was hardly his friend, and most certainly NOT in love with him.

You may perhaps be wondering what Mr. Darcy's reaction to these quickly spreading rumors was. In fact, that gentleman had no problem with it. So what if these people thought he was in love with Elizabeth Bennet? Yes, he certainly did fancy her; he had come to terms with that a few days ago. But love? Mr. Darcy hardly understood the concept, and was quite certain that he did not love her. Yet.

Another week passed, and Elizabeth was more determined than ever not to like Mr. Darcy. Charlotte and Jane were quickly becoming exasperated with her reluctance to befriend him. She was more pleasant towards him, but the other young ladies could detect pain at his dismissal of her at the assembly. This brought Miss Lucas and the eldest Miss Bennet closer together, as matchmakers. The girls decided to have Jane speak to Elizabeth about her feelings for Darcy the next morning before her walk and breakfast.

"Elizabeth?" said Jane early the next morning, poking her head in the doorway. Elizabeth was certainly surprised to see her sister, but welcomed her in none the less.

"Jane! Is something wrong?" She asked. Jane chuckled and walked in closing the door, as she replied that there was not.

"Lizzy," her sister began cautiously, "What are your feelings towards Mr. Darcy? He has paid you a great interest, you know, and I simply wish you would try to befriend him." Elizabeth's head snapped to her sister as she glared suspiciously.

"I certainly shall not! The gentleman changes his attitude and perspective regularly. Do not forget his proud mannerisms, you can hardly say he is not rude and self-centered!" Jane sighed, knowing this wasn't going to be easy.

"Yes, he is rather proud, but he has things to be proud of! He is a rich, handsome young gentleman from a respectable family! Mr. Darcy has a right to be proud, Lizzy! As for self-centered, I am afraid to say that everyone has a tendency to put themselves above others. Charlotte and I believe that he is on a fair way to being very much in love with you."

_Have they gone MENTAL? Or has Jane merely been listening to Mama and Lady Lucas' ridiculous speculations too much? Mr. Darcy is not in love with me, and I am NOT in love with him! In fact, I hardly even like him!_

Elizabeth stormed out of the room in a huff, Jane trailing sadly behind her. The young ladies took their spots at the table, and Elizabeth was glaring at her plate, until her father cleared his throat and the ladies all looked up in surprise.

"I hope my dear," said Mr. Bennet to his wife, "that you have ordered a good dinner today, because I have reason to expect an addition to our family party."

Mrs. Bennet's eyes, as well as her daughters, lit up in astonishment and surprise, all jumping to conclusions about whom the visitor was.

"Who do you mean, my dear? I know of nobody that is coming, I am sure, unless Charlotte Lucas should happen to call in, and I hope _my_ dinners are good enough for her. I do not believe she often sees such at home!"

Mr. Bennet was, at this point, extremely tempted to roll his eyes, but had a feeling that he would do enough of that in the week to come, so continued and said, "The person of whom I speak is a gentleman and a stranger."

Mrs. Bennet's eyes sparkled as she squealed, "A gentleman and a stranger! It is Mr. Darcy, I am sure! Why Lizzy, you sly thing, you never dropt a word! Well, I am sure I shall be extremely glad to see Mr. Darcy. But good lord! How unlucky! There is not a bit of fish to be got today! Lydia, my love, ring the bell, I must speak to Hill, this moment."

Before Elizabeth could protest, her father held up his hand and said, "Now now, Mrs. Bennet, let us not alarm our Lizzy too much. It is _not _Mr. Darcy, it is a person whom I have never seen in the whole course of my life."

_Who could it possibly be? And why would mother jump to conclusions that it was Mr. Darcy? _Thought Elizabeth curiously. Her father was pleased with the reception his announcement had given, and thus explained.

"About a month ago I received a letter, and about a fortnight ago I answered it, for I thought it a case of some delicacy, and requiring early attention." Elizabeth and Jane had to cover up their mouths with their napkins to refrain from laughter. Mr. Bennet went on to explain that Mr. Collins, his cousin, was coming to visit from November 18th to November 30th. The ridiculous letter made it startlingly clear that Mr. Collins hoped to find a wife among the Bennet sisters. This rather alarmed Lizzy and Jane, who were aware that the two of them, and Lydia, were the most handsome of the five. Thus, when Mr. Collins did arrive, the two were rather wary of not showing him any particular attention. They found him to be excessively annoying, and would not stop praising his "divine patroness, the honorable Lady Catherine de Bourgh". Elizabeth almost ran up the stairs when it was time to retire for the evening.

Unknown to the eldest Miss Bennets, however, Mr. Collins had already made his choice. Miss Bennet's lovely face confirmed his ideas to marry one of them, and from the first evening she was his settled choice. Jane quickly realized this as Elizabeth was preparing for the walk into Meryton, when Mr. Collins offered for him and Jane to go as well, and make sure that she arrived safely. Elizabeth really did not wish to spend more time with the clergyman than necessary, and quickly informed him that she usually took her walks with Mr. Darcy, who would certainly be able to stop any trouble that came along. This, however, only strengthened Mr. Collins' resolve to escort her and his fairer cousin.

"But no indeed, Cousin Elizabeth, for it is most improper for an unmarried young lady to be alone with a gentleman! Who knows what could occur! It is most scandalous indeed!" His outburst caused an awkward silence in the parlor, until Mr. Bennet cleared his throat and said, "Lizzy, my dear, will you join me in my study for a moment?" She felt her face reddening and silently followed him.

As Mr. Bennet shut the door, he turned to her and looked at her embarrassed face. "Lizzy, I do not wish for you to think I mistrust you, but Mr. Collins has made me think of something. You have been on your best behavior during your walks with Mr. Darcy, have you?" Elizabeth looked horrified. _Is Papa suggesting that Mr. Darcy has compromised me?_

"Yes sir, of course!" she replied in a scandalized tone. "Mr. Darcy has been the very form of a gentleman, and he would never… that is, I would not allow him… not that he would try to…" Mr. Bennet had an equal expression of embarrassment as he said hurriedly, "No no, I did not think that anything happened, as Mr. Darcy is certainly a gentleman. It is just that there have been rumors and gossip lately, and I thought it my responsibility to check… Never mind. You are certainly allowed to continue your walks with him. Now go and amuse Mr. Collins, and leave me in peace."

Elizabeth hurried out of the study and leaned against the wall after the door was shut. That was an awful conversation that she never wished to have again! She escorted her cousin and Jane outside, down the pathway where Elizabeth knew Mr. Darcy would be waiting for her. She was reminded of a conversation two days ago, where he had asked her permission to walk with her regularly.

"Miss Bennet, I hope I am not being too impertinent, but I must ask; do you enjoy our walks? That is, I did not know if I was bothering you by joining you every day…" Elizabeth had been surprised by Darcy's sudden shyness, and wondered if he thought she disliked talking to him. It took her a moment to conduct a reply, as though she did not like the man himself very much, she enjoyed their sophisticated conversation.

"No Mr. Darcy, your presence does not bother me. I must admit that though the people of Hertfordshire are certainly entertaining, it is rather nice to have another well-read person to converse with besides Charlotte and my father." Darcy had looked pleased with her reply, as he asked, "Then I hope I shall not be too presumptuous in asking if I may walk with you each morning?" She had been surprised at his request, to be sure, but granted him permission, informing him that she typically walked to Meryton at 8 in the morning on Monday through Friday, and on Saturdays around ten thirty.

Looking at her watch as her mind left the flashback, she realized that it was already nine o'clock. Elizabeth felt rather bad that she kept Mr. Darcy waiting, but did not care enough to hurry to the fork in the road that they usually met at. The trio was most surprised to find Mr. Darcy waiting there when they arrived!

"Mr. Darcy!" Elizabeth exclaimed, rather surprised. _Finally, she is here! I have been waiting for an hour. _

He bowed to her and said, "Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, it is a pleasure, as always." _Why is she late? Who is the man that has her hand on his arm? Is it because of him? Or is it because of me?_

Jane sensed Darcy's unease, and said, "Mr. Darcy, may we present our cousin, Mr. Collins. Mr. Collins, this is our friend, Mr. Darcy." Darcy bowed respectfully, but Mr. Collins merely inclined his head with a slight smirk on his face, clearly believing he was above the gentleman. Darcy, Jane, and Elizabeth all looked on in shock at the lack of manners shown by Mr. Collins. Elizabeth and Jane were blushing bright red. _If Mr. Darcy thought my family was vulgar and crude, what must he think now? _Elizabeth thought frantically.

Darcy said politely, "It is a pleasure to meet you Mr. Collins, I am sure." Collins examined him for a moment, before saying, "Yes sir, it is. I must ask you, however, to refrain from the private walks you take with Cousin Elizabeth. Her family may not be one to be affected by appearances, but my noble patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, informs me that it is extremely scandalous and improper to be alone with an unmarried lady for a long period of time. I would not want you to compromise my dear cousin's reputation in any way sir. No indeed, it could only be proper for me to walk with her, as I am a rather perfected chaperone, and a clergyman trained by Lady Catherine herself. No indeed Mr. Darcy, for I am sure if I spoke to Mr. Bennet, he would agree with me as well." With that, Mr. Collins took a shocked Jane's arm and put it on his own, and walked down the road, leaving a VERY embarrassed and red Darcy and Elizabeth behind him.

There was an awkward silence between the two, as they stood frozen in place, both equally humiliated by Mr. Collins' outburst. Darcy slowly turned to her and held out his arm, as he usually did on their walks, and she accepted it quietly. They walked in silence for about five minutes, lagging behind Mr. Collins and Jane, the former who was lecturing Elizabeth's humiliated sister about the impropriety of a gentleman and a lady being alone together. Neither had any idea of what to say, although they both wished they could simply pretend it had not happened, the pair also knew that the subject must be addressed. As Darcy was clearly still thinking, Elizabeth began.

Her voice was nearly a whisper as Elizabeth leaned slightly closer to Darcy and said, "I apologize, sir, for my cousin's crude and ridiculous outburst. I assure you, I am being affected by nothing more than slight gossip about the nature of our acquaintance and friendship," Elizabeth paused slightly, realizing that she had just classified him as a friend. Darcy had not missed it either, and felt his heart about to burst with joy. "And no one else is of that presumptuous opinion, I assure you. My father and I also spoke on the subject, and he said that he had no problem with us continuing our walks, that is, if you would still like to."

Darcy let out the breath that he was unaware he had been holding. She was still choosing to walk with him. He also noticed that when she had leaned in to speak quietly to him, she had not moved back, and did not seem to notice the closer proximity to each other. Darcy, however, did notice, and felt his heart race slightly faster. "Miss Bennet, I can assure you that I enjoy our conversations very much, and if the small rumors do not bother you, than they do not bother me." That being settled, they continued on their walk.

Elizabeth had been thinking about how unfortunate Jane was to be forced to walk with Mr. Collins, when she heard Mr. Darcy chuckle softly, and realized that his mouth was right next to her ear. She blushed slightly, and moved back so she could turn her head and ask what amused him so.

"Simply the reference that your cousin made to Lady Catherine de Bourgh. She is my aunt, you know."

She looked at him in surprise, and he chuckled again. "I was not aware, sir, but I do not see how that can cause your laughter." This simply made Darcy laugh even harder, and he suddenly stopped walking to laugh. Elizabeth was growing concerned. _What is wrong with him? Does he need a doctor? _She moved in front of him and put a spare hand on his other arm, so that one was there and the other on the arm she had been holding. "Mr. Darcy, are you alright sir? Shall I send for Doctor Jones?" Elizabeth did not expect that to make him stop laughing, but he did, and very suddenly. _She is right there, with a hand on each arm. Elizabeth Bennet is holding me in her arms! Well, not really, but she is holding me, even if it is at a slight distance! Dear lord, what is happening to me? Why is my heart racing like this? Am I blushing? Please do not have me be blushing!_

Elizabeth seemed to realize the extremely compromising position, but had not the same reaction as Darcy. _Elizabeth, quit being so daft! You cannot hold a gentleman's arms like that! _She quickly moved back to his side, blushing profusely, and asked without looking at him, "Are you alright sir?"

Darcy shook himself out of his reverie, and replied that he was fine. They began to walk again, and Mr. Darcy leaned in to whisper in her ear. "It is simply that my cousin Richard had mentioned to me that Lady Catherine recently hired a new clergyman, and described him in very vivid detail. I had thought he was exaggerating, but I can clearly see that his description of Mr. Collins hardly did justice to the real version." Elizabeth was surprised by his warm breath suddenly on her ear, but then started to laugh too, and her charming laugh spread to him, and the pair laughed all the way into Meryton.

When they reached town they were merely smiling, and Elizabeth amusedly said to Darcy, "I hope sir, that we can control ourselves while in town, as if we are spontaneously bursting into laughter in the middle of the streets, I fear my neighbors will question our sanity."

Darcy smiled and said, "That would be a crime indeed, Miss Bennet." The pair walked through Meryton, trailing behind Jane and Mr. Collins. Jane had only agreed to walk with Mr. Collins in order for Darcy and Elizabeth to spend more time together. When she heard their wild laughter from behind, she smiled fondly, although Mr. Collins looked disgusted and scandalized. It appeared that her and Charlotte's plan was working!

Elizabeth and Darcy had walked past several shops, until Elizabeth saw the display of silk that she had been pining for ever since it arrived months ago. Darcy heard her sigh as they stopped to look at it, and glanced at her in surprise.

"Is something wrong, Miss Elizabeth?" He asked, rather alarmed. Elizabeth chuckled sadly and replied, "No sir, I am perfectly all right, Mr. Darcy, just simply in a fantasy. You see that lovely green silk there?" She said, pointing. He nodded the affirmative. "Well, I have desired it for months now, you see. Green is my favorite color, but the silk is too expensive." Darcy had been watching her longing expression as she stared in the window, and he wished he could make her happier.

"It matches your eyes." He said suddenly, voicing his thoughts aloud. _Blast it, did I really just say that? I should not know her eyes that well! _Elizabeth turned to him in surprise, and they both blushed profusely.

"I thank you sir, but my eyes are more hazel, and this is a pure green," She said, smiling slightly.

"Perhaps, but there is a large ring of olive green after the gold around the center of your eye, that would look well with this fabric." _WHY AM I SAYING THIS? WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? NOW SHE SHALL THINK I AM SOME STRANGE PERSON!_

_What? How on earth does Mr. Darcy know my eyes well enough to compare them to a fabric? And that he can describe them in such detail, as well? That is rather strange… _"Thank you," was all the lady said. There was a moment of awkward silence, Darcy inwardly screaming curses at himself, and Elizabeth trying to figure out what was going on. Eventually, the duo left the shop window and walked back down the path that would lead them to Netherfield and Longbourn. They walked in a companionable silence, which left Darcy with lots of thinking time.

_Perhaps I should apologize for my unjust comment at the assembly. She is hardly tolerable, although her family is EXTREMELY annoying. In fact, I believe that Elizabeth is the loveliest woman I have ever laid eyes upon. But should I tell her that? No! I cannot. That would be declaring myself! Or very close to it, at least. No matter what my feelings may be towards her, I cannot marry her. I must marry someone more respectable. Besides, it is merely infatuation, it will pass. Won't it?_

The pair reached Longbourn quickly, as they were both fast walkers. Elizabeth smiled at him, and said "I hope to see you again tomorrow, Mr. Darcy. Perhaps we may meet some more of the militia!" _Please do not walk with me, please do not walk with me…_

"I would be delighted to walk with you, and meet the soldiers, Miss Elizabeth." _I do not wish to meet the militia! Why does she want to meet the soldiers? They are other men! We cannot go meet them, for they shall try to steal her from me! No Darcy, she is not yours. Keep that in mind. No matter how much you would like her to be, she is no-_

"COUSIN ELIZABETH!" Darcy and Elizabeth both jumped in the air, extremely startled by Mr. Collin's ridiculous sneer behind them. The sniveling fool came closer, and sneered at Darcy, saying, "Did I not just inform you that Lady Catherine de Bourgh, a most respectable lady, has informed me herself that young ladies and gentlemen are not to be alone for periods of time? No Cousin Elizabeth, you most certainly may not! I shall inform your father directly of your misdeeds! Come!"

Elizabeth and Darcy merely stood there, mouths gaping. Neither could grasp the infuriating concept that was Mr. Collins. Eventually, Elizabeth regained herself, and replied, "I thank you for your advice, Mr. Collins, but my father and I have addressed the situation already, and he is perfectly at ease with me continuing my walks with Mr. Darcy. Furthermore, it really is none of your business sir, in all due respect." Mr. Collins sputtered and turned red. Finally he glared at Darcy and said, "I shall write to Lady Catherine de Bourgh at once! She shall not condone this."

Darcy and Elizabeth exchanged a knowing smile, and Darcy stepped forward slightly.

"Mr. Collins, if you do not mind, sir, I would wish for you to convey Lady Catherine a message from myself, in your missive to her ladyship." Collins eyed him suspiciously, but nodded his consent.

"Please tell her that her nephew, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley, says hello." With that, Darcy tipped his hat in farewell, and mischievously winked at a laughing Elizabeth, before walking off towards Netherfield. Needless to say, Mr. Collins did not utter a single word the rest of the afternoon.

**A/N: (I realize that my authors notes are getting REALLY long! Sorry, I just like talking to people, and I have a lot to say! But I'll try to make them shorter for now on!) ****Okay, I'm looking for some advice. I am having A LOT of trouble with Wickham. I don't know what I want Elizabeth's perspective on his lies to be! If you can EACH just tell me if you want her to believe him, have him just tell Jane, have Elizabeth not be sure whether to believe him, or to not believe him at all, that would REALLY help me. It doesn't impact this story that much, but I just don't know what to do! I can't update, or write anything at all, until I figure out what I'm going to do, so reviews are kind of crucial at the moment.** **As in if you want me to continue the story, you will need to review and help me! So when I come back from vacation and there are some helpful reviews out there, I will be able to write the next chapter quicker and get it posted. And vote on my profile: Which P&P character is most annoying? And review!**


	5. Creeping Collins and Wicked Wickham

**Disclaimer: I own this story. It is MINE! Nobody can steal it. Or I'll be very angry. Of course, the CHARACTERS aren't mine. Neither are the settings. But everything else is! Don't try to tell me otherwise.**

**A/N: Hey, sorry about the second update, but I realized that I accidently had Darcy ask for the first dance AGAIN! So I'm changing it to the supper dance. Sorry about that! I also made a slight editing thing in that part, so re-read it if you want. Thanks!**

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><p>Mr. Collins was much like Darcy in the respect that he was a very determined man. He had found what, or rather who, he wanted, and was not about to let anything (apart from the noble Lady Catherine de Bourgh) stop him from getting it. Collins was of the opinion that Miss Jane was falling violently in love with him; what lady could not? As for Jane's continued avoidance of him, Mr. William Collins was of the opinion that it was usual for young ladies to reject the addresses of the man whom they secretly mean to accept.<p>

Elizabeth knew that Jane was his true object, but Mr. Collins made it clear that he wished for Elizabeth to tell Mr. Darcy tales of his esteemed patroness, which always ended with Lady Catherine praising Mr. Collins to the skies. ("Oh Cousin Elizabeth! Perhaps you could inform Mr. Darcy of how Lady Catherine said to me herself one day, that no one had a more enhanced knowledge of the proper way to make white soup than I!" "Please entertain Mr. Darcy with the story of how Lady Catherine lost her spectacles on the ground, and I found them under the table in the parlor for her!" "I am sure Mr. Darcy will be interested to know how Lady Catherine herself claimed that she had never seen more orange pumpkins than those in my garden!") Elizabeth could simply not have a minute alone! Jane was faring worse, however. Mr. Collins would intrude on walks with her sister, follow her around everywhere they went, constantly attempt to read her Fordyce's sermons, and insist to sit by her at dinner. Mrs. Bennet was very supportive of the match between Collins and her eldest daughter, but Jane was less than thrilled.

"I simply do not know what to do Lizzy!" Jane cried, as she sat in her sister's room one night, about a week after Mr. Collins arrived and wreaked havoc on their lives. "I do not wish to be impolite to the poor man, but I do not know how to tell him to stay away! Elizabeth, we are both aware of his intentions towards me. I cannot marry him! I do not love him!"

Jane then burst in to tears. Elizabeth tried to comfort her sister, saying that she could always refuse Mr. Collins, but this was unacceptable to Jane. "But that would be too cruel, Elizabeth! I cannot put him through the pain of rejection, I cannot!" Personally, Elizabeth felt that Jane was overreacting. She was too prone to letting others push her around, that she hardly did what she wanted or what was best for her.

"Dearest Jane, do not fret. If the time comes that you must refuse Mr. Collins, I have no doubt that you shall be able to do it swiftly and without inflicting pain. And no offense intended towards you, sister, but I feel that Mr. Collins' attachment to you is imaginary. All will be well Jane, just wait and see."

But all was not well. Mr. Collins was everywhere. In the parlor, at dinner, in Meryton, and he consistently followed Jane and Elizabeth around at parties. Jane was not her usual serene self at all, and Elizabeth was growing very worried for her elder sister, in more ways than one.

Jane had never been of an extremely healthy constitution, as mere colds could reduce her to a bed-rest for days on end. The eldest Miss Bennet had been constantly avoiding walking outdoors and taking long meals. Jane was not getting enough exercise, and Elizabeth had caught her trying to skip meals more than once, all to avoid Mr. Collins. She was paler than usual, and was quickly becoming consistently hungry and tired. Elizabeth tried to get Jane to join her and Mr. Darcy on their walks, but Jane always refused, insisting that neither her sister nor Darcy deserved to have Mr. Collins intrude on their lives as well.

You may not believe me when I tell you this, but it is true; Jane Bennet lied to her sister, and also had an ulterior motive. Yes, I am talking about the same Jane Bennet who always appears to have rainbows and furry woodland creatures following her wherever she goes. Jane knew that Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy were becoming close friends on their walks together, and she and Charlotte would not let their matchmaking scheme go to waste! Jane was not faking her illness, no, she was not well, and she knew it. But she refused to ruin for her sister what she felt could become a life-long romance. Jane Bennet simply needed a distraction; and a distraction was what Meryton was about to get.

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><p>Elizabeth had finally been able to get Jane out of the house and off to Meryton with her and Darcy. The only reason that Jane acquiesced was that Kitty, Lydia, Mary, Mr. Bingley, Charlotte, and Mr. Collins were joining the pair, as all the before-mentioned young people been invited to Mrs. Philips' card party. (Mrs. Philips and Mrs. Bennet were in cahoots to produce a match between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, which had resulted in Bingley and Darcy coming to the party as well, the Bingley sisters and Mr. Hurst faking illnesses which prevented their attendance.)<p>

The young ladies hoped to meet some of the local militia, although two of the gentlemen present had their complaints about that, one silently, the other VERY loudly. Darcy's inner monologue was rather like this: _WHY must she meet the officers? All unmarried officers are notorious for flirtation, and what shall I do if Elizabeth flirts back? I cannot let that happen! Perhaps I can arrange an accident… NO! That is ridiculous. I shall simply suggest we… Ignore the officers? No, that will not work, she shall think I am an unsocial hermit! __**You ARE an unsocial hermit, **_the irritating voice in the back of his head reminded him. _No I am not! Well, perhaps a little…_

Mr. Collins professed already disliking the officers because of their rowdiness, loud voices, and general uncleanliness. In fact, the state of dirt, that nobody but Mr. Collins saw, on the officers and their clothing, made the man more whiny than usual on the bright morning. Elizabeth knew the reason why, and she and her father had laughed about it for hours on end.

The day before, Elizabeth had been trimming the flowers in the garden, when Mr. Collins approached her with another message for Mr. Darcy.

"What is it now Mr. Collins?" She had asked, turning around and holding out her palms in exasperation. He had begun to speak, when he glanced at her dirty hands. Mr. Collins turned pale and started stuttering.

"Cousin Elizabeth I must INSIST that you wash your hands! It is so, unsanitary!" He was shaking, trembling, and backing away slowly, terrified. Elizabeth had realized that Mr. Collins had mysophobia! **(A/N: Mysophobia is a fear of germs. Kind of cheesy, corny, call it whatever you want to. I just felt like making Mr. Collins an idiot. Also, sorry if I misspelled it, I got different spellings for it on the internet. ? Who knows. If you feel like that part was really random, YOU'RE RIGHT! But I just HAD to make fun of Collins somehow. Feedback would be helpful, if you want me to increase the amount of Mr. Collins' fear mentioned, or just leave it at this? Okay, I'll let you read now.)**

Their party was split into groups, as is the usual when large groups of people walk on small paths. Darcy and Elizabeth were leading the pack, in fact, the pair was quite far ahead of all the others. Jane was being saved from Mr. Collins by Mr. Bingley, Charlotte, Lydia, and Kitty sticking close to each side of her, which she was eternally grateful for. Mr. Collins and Mary were behind Darcy and Elizabeth, but ahead of the others, having a heated discussion about scripture. The four young people in back were able to see Darcy and Elizabeth in front, and were pleased with the playful interaction between friends.

"No Mr. Darcy, you must be joking!" Elizabeth cried between peals of laughter. Darcy was also bent over with hysterics, although he had been part of, heard, and told the tale several times.

"But it is true! Every word of it, I swear on my honor as a gentleman." He replied solemnly. Elizabeth was now crying, and stopped walking, letting go of his arm for a moment to clutch her stomach. She simply waved off Mr. Collins' cries behind her if she was alright, and eventually regained herself so that her cheeks were merely bright red with mirth and embarrassment at her display.

"I apologize for my unladylike laughter, Mr. Darcy. I do not know what overcame me."

"No indeed, madam. No apology is necessary." Darcy then whispered, "And I must say that your face was much less red than Lady Catherine's when she realized there was a snake crawling in her food." That hardly helped calm Elizabeth down.

From too far behind for Darcy and Elizabeth to notice, Mr. Bingley chuckled and said, "Thick as thieves, the pair of them. Am I not right, ladies?"

The girls laughed and Kitty replied, "Certainly, Mr. Bingley. They are indeed very difficult to separate!"

Charlotte turned to Jane and allowed Kitty, Lydia, and Bingley to pass them. "Well?" she asked. Jane smiled widely and said, "I believe that Elizabeth is in a fair way to being very much in love with him."

Charlotte looked pleased. "And Mr. Darcy? Do you think he is in love?" Jane studied the couple for a moment, then shrugged. "It is clear that he _likes_ her very much. I certainly support the match. He appears very respectable, handsome, and is conveniently rich." The girls laughed, and continued observing the pair in this manner until the party reached Meryton.

Darcy was extremely irked to find that nearly all of the regiment was in Meryton that day. How was he supposed to prevent flirtation between the officers and his friend now? He had been pleased with Elizabeth's response to his story, but did not know if the officers' had _better _stories to tell than him! It would be extremely vexing if true. Darcy eyed a group of redcoats suspiciously, as checking to make sure they weren't secretly Napoleon's spies.

The gentleman was disturbed from his musings by the lady tugging on his arm and saying excitedly, "Come Mr. Darcy, let us go meet the officers!" Darcy smiled weakly, and allowed Elizabeth to lead him over to the officers and the rest of their party.

"Ah, Lizzy, Mr. Darcy, there you are!" Lydia exclaimed. "Come, we must introduce the pair of you to the officers! Gentlemen, my sister Elizabeth and her friend," Lydia turned to Kitty and the two girls giggled, causing Darcy and Elizabeth to redden. "Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy, Lizzy, may I introduce Misters Denny, Carter, and Chamberlayne."

Darcy bowed respectively to the gentlemen, and they returned the gesture in unison. Elizabeth curtsied next, and Darcy was enraged to find the gentlemen bowing in return, and perhaps looking at her for a fraction of a second too long for his liking. _It is not as though she is yours._ He thought sullenly.

"It is a pleasure to meet all of you, Misses Bennets, Miss Lucas, Misters Bingley, Collins, and Darcy." The group responded to Denny in kind. "It is a wonderful day to make new friends, is it not? Miss Lydia, my friend that I spoke of to you has arrived. I think that is him over there!" Lydia squealed with joy, as Mr. Denny had spoken well of a single gentleman who would be joining the regiment.

Lydia told the rest of them this, and while they were waiting for the gentleman to approach, Darcy examined the officers. _Chamberlayne seems well enough, he hardly even glanced at Elizabeth. He must be partially blind. Denny seems as flirtatious as Miss Kitty and Miss Lydia, and Carter does as well. She is safe from these men at least. _Content that none of the gentlemen present, besides himself of course, cared for Elizabeth, Darcy was able to relax.

That is, until he heard an all too familiar voice call, "Denny, Carter, Chamberlayne! It is an honor as always." _Is that…? No, it can't be! Him, here? Now! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! No no no no no no NO NO NO NO NO NO!_

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Mr. George Wickham." **(A/N: They all begin to boo, Mr. Collins takes out a pistol and shoots Wickham. I wish!)**

Darcy felt his blood run cold. It was Wickham. How dare he show his miserable little FACE here? Or anywhere? He wanted to leave. Now.

Elizabeth felt Mr. Darcy tense beside her when Wickham approached, though she could not fathom why. _Why does a complete stranger have this effect on him? _She wondered. Mr. Wickham was all smiles as he greeted them.

"It is a pleasure to meet all of you, I am sure." Wickham greeted with a pleasing and open countenance, which Elizabeth noted was very handsome, though perhaps not as handsome as Mr. Darcy's appealing features.

Elizabeth watched closely as he was introduced to Darcy. Both men seemed frozen in place. Darcy turned red with fury, and Wickham white with fear. The smile plastered on Mr. Wickham's face appeared forced, and an expression of horror overtook Mr. Darcy's countenance. Wickham recovered from his shock first, and said, "Ah, Darcy. I have not seen you for some time. Since Ramsgate, if I recall." Elizabeth could have sworn that Wickham's tone was mocking, and that the previously friendly smile had become a slight smirk. Then again, it could all be in her imagination. Wickham stuck out his hand to shake Darcy's.

Darcy did not respond for a moment, his face blank, and becoming paler by the second. Eventually he took Wickham's hand, and by the grimace on both gentlemen's faces, the group could tell that each man was squeezing the others as hard as humanly possible.

"Yes, I believe that was when we saw each other last. Trust me, I have not forgotten, and I shan't any time soon." Darcy's voice at the end was clearly some kind of warning, but for what, Elizabeth could not fathom.

"Pardon me, I just remembered some urgent business I need to take care of. Good day." Darcy nodded his head curtly and quickly walked away, leaving some very baffled people behind him.

_What on Earth…?_

_So Darcy is here? This will be interesting…_

_Mr. Wickham is SO handsome in his regimentals…_

_What shall I wear to the Forster's ball tomorrow night? I hope he notices me…_

_A gentleman should never lower himself to be rude or unfeeling towards another gentleman, especially not in front of the fairer sex, such as ourselves. This is stated very clearly in Fordyce's Sermons._

_That was rather odd…_

_I wonder what effect Mr. Darcy's strange departure could have on Elizabeth?_

_That was a very rude display of decorum on Mr. Wickham's part, daring to speak to a gentleman such as Mr. Darcy. A clergyman like myself would never be prevailed upon to show such disrespect!_

_Honestly, does Wickham want to make a good impression on these pretty girls or not?_

_Miss Lydia is very exuberant…_

_I hope I am not the only one confused by that exchange._

But Elizabeth's thoughts were even more confused than Mr. Chamberlayne's, or any of her other friends' ponderings. _Why did Mr. Darcy leave? How does he know Mr. Wickham? Why do they seem to despise each other so? Is he not going to walk me home? _Elizabeth mentally scolded herself for the last question. _Your friend and new acquaintance nearly dueled each other, and you are concerned that he did not walk you home? Don't be so insipid, Elizabeth._

Elizabeth needed to know what was wrong with Mr. Darcy, and she was not one to be patient when curiosity overtook her mind. She tapped Jane on the shoulder to gain her attention back from Mr. Wickham.

"Jane? I believe I am not feeling well. Please offer our Aunt Philips my apologies for not attending her card party." Jane professed concern for her sister's health, but Elizabeth reassured her that she was fine, and nearly ran down the path towards Netherfield and Longbourn.

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><p>"Mr. Darcy? Mr. Darcy!" She called, running down the path. <em>It can only have been two minutes since he left! How fast is this man? <em>Elizabeth slowed down slightly, but was speedy none the less. Finally, she saw his form ahead of her. "Mr. Darcy!" She yelled again. Darcy turned back in surprise, and at seeing who it was, stopped walking and waited patiently for her to reach him.

"Miss Bennet, are you quite alright?" He asked, sounding rather amused, for she was standing next to him, panting and clutching her stomach. Elizabeth glared slightly, which caused him to chuckle. When she regained her air, she straightened up and replied, "I am quite alright sir, just slightly out of breath. I was running to see if YOU were alright. Mr. Darcy, you left rather suddenly, and I cannot help but think that something bothered you."

Darcy stiffened, and silently offered his arm for her, which she gratefully took. They walked in silence, until Elizabeth could stand it no longer, and offered "Well?"

Looking at her, Darcy decided that he could offer up half of the truth, with not much consequence. "Miss Bennet," he began cautiously, "Do you recall when I mentioned to you that my sister, Georgiana, and I had experienced trouble with an untrustworthy man, who had been our friend from childhood?"

Elizabeth looked puzzled. "I do remember that, but what has that to do with-" Suddenly, she raised a hand to her mouth in understanding, and her lips formed a silent 'Oh'.

He nodded. "I do not like to speak of it, but I feel, as your friend, I must advise you to pay Mr. Wickham no mind. I would also appreciate it if you did not mention this to any others."

She promised she would not, and the walk continued silently, with a new sense of peace. When the pair reached Longbourn, Darcy hesitated slightly. Elizabeth turned to him, amused, and said, "Mr. Darcy, this is my home. I am afraid that you must let go of my arm, sir." He turned slightly red, and dropped her arm, only to rub the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"Miss Bennet, I would like to ask you something." Darcy began, sounding nervous. Elizabeth looked up in surprise. "Yes, Mr. Darcy, what is it?"

Darcy began to wring his hands, and fought back the urge to start pacing. "I wondered, that is, if you would, perhaps..." He mumbled something incomprehensible. Elizabeth looked at him, confused.

"I apologize sir, I'm afraid I did not quite catch that last bit. Would you mind repeating it for me?"

Darcy was very red by now. "Of course, er, yes. Well, I wondered if you would do me the honor of dancing the supper set with me at the Forsters' ball tomorrow evening?"

Elizabeth blinked in surprise, but smiled and replied, "I would be delighted, Mr. Darcy."

Darcy smiled in relief, and replied, "Thank you, Miss Bennet. Good day."

"Good day sir."

Both returned to their homes with smiles on their faces.

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><p>George Wickham was a very selfish man. If he wanted something, he would get it, by fair means or foul. In this case, he wanted two things. One, being to make Darcy's life here in Hertfordshire as uncomfortable and painful as possible. Another, the pretty blonde lady whom he had the pleasure to meet in the street earlier. As Mr. Wickham scanned Jane Bennet from head to toe across the room in the Philips' parlor, he was very pleased with what he saw.<p>

George made his way over to the young woman, and put on his most charming smile. "Miss Bennet, it was simply an honor to meet you earlier, and very kind of you to invite me to your aunt and uncle's card party."

Jane looked surprised, but smiled and blushed in pleasure as she replied, "The honor was all mine, Mr. Wickham. Please, have a seat." She gestured to the chair in front of hers, and he sat down.

"Thank you. It is uncommon that I meet such obliging friends where I stay, especially after-" Wickham paused for dramatic effect, but did not continue. _Three, two, one-_

"After what, Mr. Wickham?" _It works every time._

Wickham pretended to hesitate, as he began his tale of woe. "Miss Bennet, may I ask about the nature of your acquaintance with one Fitzwilliam Darcy?"

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><p><strong>AN: DUN DUN DUUUUUUN! Wickham is so evil. Okay, I realized that this is just WAY too happy and fluffy. There's bigger conflicts later on, but I think I will have Wickham and Collins be annoying to add some conflict stuff. ****I am sorry for not posting way earlier! I have been freed from the dungeon that is writer's block! I know that Collins' phobia was random, so do you want me to incorporate that more into this? Like some kind of standing joke? (If you can't tell, I was experimenting with break lines. They are nice!) ****I recently learned that you can only have ONE poll on your profile at a time. :/. So, I will be switching polls once in a while, so that I can get lots of feedback from both. Right now, I think that the most annoying P&P character one is up. Alright. Review guys! If you think you know what's going to happen, sweet for you! I left some hints, if you're smart. And REVIEW! Please!**


	6. Falling in Love With Miss Bennet

**Disclaimer: I am a teenager in a car with a laptop, jeans, Aeropostle t-shirt, and champion sweat-shirt. Not Jane Austen in a Regency dress at a feminine writing desk with a quill and parchment.**

**A/N: I wrote this in the car rides to and from Chicago. My cousins followed our car, and my sisters watched "Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure" (which I also do not own), so I was bored. I hope this is good, and sorry for the late update, I've had a bunch of family stuff going on. REVIEW AND I WILL GIVE YOU GOLDFISH CRACKERS. (This is a very high honor, because I do NOT give up Goldfish easily.)**

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><p>On the bright, sunny morning of the twenty-sixth of November, all appeared calm. The birds were singing, and a light frost covered the ground surrounding Netherfield Park. Every tree on the estate was a mixture of red, orange, and yellow, and the sky was a clear blue. Three miles down the road, however, it was most certainly NOT calm.<p>

In the halls of Longbourn Estate, a woman was screeching at the top of her lungs. This woman was Mrs. Franny Bennet.

Mrs. Bennet had not always been so… loud, shall we call it? In fact, Franny Gardiner had been a very shy young girl. Her knack for gossiping was admired among many young women, and her petite form and luscious curls by men. It was after she married and had children with Edmund Bennet that she developed her nerves. Children had really taken their toll on Franny, as after she birthed her two eldest, Elizabeth and Jane, she became rather stressful, even more so after she and her husband never had a son. Now, her nerves were simply her personality.

The reason Mrs. Bennet was so hyped up today, however, was because she had five daughters to prepare for a ball in five hours. Since the Bennets only had one maid, it was supposed to mean an hour per daughter to get ready. Mrs. Bennet would give Lydia and Jane each two hours, which left an hour for Elizabeth, Mary, and Kitty to be prepared for the Forster's ball.

Elizabeth decided that she could get ready without the maid, and graciously allowed Kitty and Mary to use up the hour instead. She donned the new ball gown that her mother had insisted she needed, as how else could she get Mr. Darcy to propose to her? (Protests from Elizabeth about her and Mr. Darcy's friendship had been rendered completely useless against Mrs. Bennet.) It was a lovely periwinkle purple, a color which had produced a rather ridiculous debate between her and Mr. Darcy. He insisted that it was blue, while she believed it was more of a purple. Mr. Darcy had gone as far as to inquire Mr. Bingley's opinion on the matter, and at Mr. Bingley's confused expression, had expressed his thoughts about the "blueness" of the color so fervently and dramatically, that Elizabeth had alarmed her neighbors with her wild laughter. (Although Darcy claimed there was absolutely nothing humorous about the situation, as she was simply in denial of a universal truth.)

The dress was easily the most beautiful (and expensive) garment that Elizabeth had ever owned. The sleeves were cuffed with a white lace with yellow threads, as was the hem of the dress and the neckline. Elizabeth had secretly raised the front of the dress up an inch, as Mrs. Bennet had ordered the dress, convinced with such a scandalous neckline, Mr. Darcy would be completely and utterly seduced. Elizabeth, mortified, ignored the scolding of her mother; as she would rather be yelled at than have her reputation lowered.

Jane had assisted with putting white flowers in her hair, and Elizabeth had done the same to her beautiful sister. All of the Bennets had to agree that Elizabeth had never looked so splendid, and Mrs. Bennet went as far as to say that she looked even more beautiful than Jane. All in all, she appreciated her mother's efforts to make her look nice, although she was horrified of the means for it.

As the Bennet carriage reached the Forster's rented house, Purvis Lodge, Mrs. Bennet was going into a rant about how her second eldest may very likely be receiving an offer of marriage from the most sought-after bachelor in all of England. (All of Elizabeth's protests that she and Mr. Darcy were simply friends were completely ignored yet again.) Kitty and Lydia took their mother too seriously, and were preparing to tell all of their friends that Mr. Darcy was engaged to their sister. Had Elizabeth known, she would have had a much different attitude entering the ball, but as she did not, she greeted the Colonel and Mrs. Forster with a smile on her face.

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><p>As the crowds began to come in and the residents of Hertfordshire conversed and exchanged stories, a man stood by the window, looking out into the night. Fitzwilliam Darcy was bored out of his mind, and neither of his two friends here were with him. Charles Bingley was switching between groups of people to converse with, and Darcy had not seen him since they exited the carriage. Though perhaps it was Darcy's fault, as he had immediately escaped the Bingleys and Hursts after entering the household, hoping to shake off Miss Bingley. He wasn't hiding, exactly, merely clearing his thoughts in solitude so that he would know what to say when his other friend arrived.<p>

His other friend. Elizabeth Bennet was quickly becoming much dearer to him than he could possibly imagine, and she had nearly replaced Bingley as his "best friend". Although Charles was friendly and obliging, and everything a man wants in a best friend, he couldn't exactly have the witty banter that he and Miss Bennet partook in. Darcy admitted that he liked Elizabeth a lot, and admired her in perhaps a different way than he did his other female acquaintances. But that did not mean he had any other feelings towards her. At least, he did not think he did until he saw her step out of her carriage.

She was beautiful, perfect, and simply stunning. They had joked about the periwinkle dress she was wearing, and he had pretended to be serious about it to make her laugh. But he had never really thought about the actual thing. It was gorgeous, and almost could be compared to her. It complimented her slim form and other… feminine attributes, he thought rather wickedly, immediately scolding himself for his ungentlemanly thoughts. Elizabeth was beautiful. Then it hit him.

_I think… I think I love her. _The shock of his realization was very great, as mere _seconds _ago he had been protesting to himself that he was simply attracted to her; and it caused him to stare rather stupidly at a statue, his mouth agape. Darcy loved her. In a way, he felt that he shouldn't be surprised; as he knew he cared deeply for her, and was attracted to her. But love? _I never thought it could happen to me._ Indeed, he did not. Darcy felt his heart pounding as he watched her. The woman he loved. _What am I supposed to do? What does one do when in love? __**Well, Darcy, a man in love usually does the obvious. He proposes. **_

The advice of the voice in the back of his head had a strange effect on him. Although he had been admiring, nay, in love with, her for weeks, he had never even fantasized about marrying her. She was too far below his social status. But the more he thought about the idea, the more Darcy became obsessed with it._ If we were married, she would be mine forever. Elizabeth would never flirt with the officers or any men at all. I would actually be able to call her Elizabeth without defying propriety! We would live at Pemberley together with Georgiana, and Colonel Fitzwilliam would visit, and we would have lots of children- _Darcy shook his head. He could not get carried away, especially not in such a public place as this ball.

Darcy had been so preoccupied recognizing his true feelings for his friend, that he hardly realized that she had approached him.

"Hello Mr. Darcy, why are you not conversing with the rest of the party?" Elizabeth asked with a knowing smile.

Though a perfectly normal question, Darcy could not think of anything to say. In fact, he was rendered completely speechless. He had no idea what to say, what to do! He loved her, and he felt that he might possibly DIE if he made a fool of himself in front of her. Darcy finally realized that was exactly what he was doing, standing there staring at her, not responding to her question. Elizabeth was clearly rather confused at his lack of communication, so he shut his mouth and cleared his throat.

_What to say, what to say! I have about two seconds…._ "I, um, how are, you look, err, hello." _That went well._

Elizabeth was simply amused. "Hello to you as well, Mr. Darcy. I was going to make conversation with you, but it appears that the first set is beginning, or did you forget our promise to begin the ball together?"

"I have certainly not forgotten, Miss Bennet." _Well, at least I did not act like an incoherent buffoon that time._

Darcy took her hand gently and led her over to the Forsters.

"Ah, Mr. Darcy, Miss Bennet! So glad you both could make it." The Colonel greeted them warmly, and his wife did as well. After pleasantries were exchanged between the foursome, the Colonel directed them to the front of the ballroom. A thought crossed Elizabeth's mind that opening the ball with Mr. Darcy, and dancing the supper set with him, would not make the rumors go away, and could quite possibly make them worse. _Oh well, it is too late to do anything about it now, _she thought to herself.

The pair stood across from each other, and as the music started, Darcy felt his face getting hot. He realized that they were going to hold hands, without gloves. It would be the most direct contact he had had with his beloved in the whole course of their acquaintance, apart from the little mishap when she held him in her arms. (Darcy still liked to think of it as that way, her holding him in her arms.)

_Just watch me slip and fall, or go the wrong way, or step on her dainty feet. _Darcy's thoughts were overly pessimistic. He had no reason to worry. Although he certainly did not dance often, on the rare times that he did, Darcy danced well. In his present state of mind, however, he was not sure he could remember his name, let alone the steps of a complicated dance.

The dance began, and Elizabeth gracefully stepped forward and took his hand. He marveled at the warmth of her touch, and the sensations it stirred within him. Elizabeth smiled and he was so transfixed, that he almost forgot to move. As the dance separated him and they rejoined, he was startled out of his reverie by the sound of her sweet voice.

"I believe we must make _some_ attempts at conversation, Mr. Darcy. Obviously religion and politics are forbidden in polite company, and we have certainly already covered books and music. We could debate again about the color periwinkle, if you would like, or you could relate to me another anecdote about your childhood."

Darcy smiled at her teasing, which he had come to love. _Love is a strong word,_ he thought to himself. _But it's the only word I can use to describe how I feel for her._

"Or, Miss Bennet, we could converse about how well you look this evening." She blushed prettily, and that encouraged him to continue.

"I shall begin; Miss Elizabeth, you look absolutely stunning, if I may say so." Elizabeth blushed even redder and smiled again as she replied.

"I would thank you, Mr. Darcy, but as my dance partner and friend, you are required to say that. How am I to know if you are truthful or not?" Elizabeth meant for her words to be teasing, but he took them more seriously.

_How could she not think that she is beautiful?_ "I beg to differ, Miss Bennet. A friend or dance partner would be required to tell you that you look well. I do believe I said stunning. I shall elaborate more, if you insist. Miss Elizabeth, the blue of your periwinkle gown is beautiful, although is nothing in comparison to you. Is that better?"

Elizabeth was shocked by his bold statement. Although she recognized it as partially teasing, the truth behind his words was unmistakable. As the dance separated them, she tried to think of a reply, but her mind was not very sharp at the moment.

"I thank you for your kind compliments, Mr. Darcy, as they are certainly more than I deserve. And you must quit insisting that periwinkle is blue! It is ungentlemanly to lie, as the truth is that it is purple!"

Darcy chuckled half-heartedly, a bit disappointed at the reception of his compliments. He did not want her to wave them off, and believe that they were false.

When the dance rejoined them again, he quickly leaned over and whispered in her ear, "A gentleman never lies, Miss Bennet." Elizabeth was clever enough to sense the double meaning behind his words, and realized that he was indeed serious about thinking she was beautiful. _What does he mean by this? Mr. Darcy could not possibly be attracted to me, could he? _The idea was ridiculous. Darcy was her friend, and he was a wealthy personage. Men like Darcy did not fancy girls like Elizabeth! She did not like the way she was feeling, the slight pounding of her heart and the disappointment of her thoughts. Elizabeth did not appreciate weaknesses, and falling for Mr. Darcy would certainly be a weakness.

Throughout the rest of the dance they made idle conversation, but Darcy mostly tried to hold eye contact with her. It was quite unnerving for Elizabeth, to have his warm brown eyes searching hers for so long. Although she was a firm believer in eye contact, and usually kept it longer than the average person, that fact that he hardly ever looked away from her eyes was rather odd. Not unpleasant, in fact, she quite liked his dark eyes, but it was simply strange. However, Elizabeth took it as a challenge, and she was never one to back down from a challenge. Their eye contact held, and Elizabeth took the time when they were separated by the dance to observe the other couples.

She noticed Jane dancing with Mr. Wickham, and Lydia with Captain Carter. Mary was Mr. Collins' dance partner, as when he asked Jane, she pretended to regret that she was already promised to Mr. Wickham for the first set.

Elizabeth was most surprised to see Kitty dancing the first set with Mr. Bingley! _That is quite lovely, but why would Mr. Bingley ask Kitty? I had not noticed him paying her any particular attention… Then again, I have not noticed much since Mr. Darcy and I became friends… _She shook her head and focused on the dance, only to find Mr. Darcy staring at her, obviously in deep contemplation.

"What puzzles you so, Mr. Darcy?" She asked in jest. He did not answer her, but Elizabeth recognized the slight upturn of his lips that indicated his amusement. It was a bit of a game they played, although they had never dubbed it as such. Simply Mr. Darcy would be silent and unresponsive, and Elizabeth would try to either make him laugh or speak. She was quite good at it, but Darcy had perfected being silent when the most powerful members of the London ton wanted him to speak, so he was a more than worthy opponent.

"The dance is not oh so confusing, is it, sir?" She teased. Darcy just stared at her in the same way he had been all night.

Elizabeth thought again about what it was that could be bothering him, as he clearly had something on his mind. "Maybe it is your coat, Mr. Darcy?" He was snapped out of his reverie by the odd question.

"Wha- what?" Darcy stuttered. Elizabeth laughed as they joined hands again.

"Yes Mr. Darcy, you heard me correctly. As handsome as you look in your coat, I am afraid that you might be uncomfortable in it, and that is what is troubling you. Am I correct?"

_Did she just-? _"You think I look handsome in my coat?" he asked bashfully, and then turned red, realizing that he had accidently spoken aloud. Elizabeth started slightly, pausing in the dance, and blushed furiously. _Is that what I said? Well, he does look extremely handsome._ As much as Elizabeth wished she could pretend that he was not handsome, the fact still stood that Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy was the most handsome man that she had ever laid eyes upon.

"Well, sir," she began as he was mentally cursing himself for not the first time throughout their acquaintance, "I do believe that is what I said. You paid me such kind compliments, I shall return them. Yes Mr. Darcy, you look extremely handsome tonight."

_She thinks I am handsome. __**She **__thinks __**I **__am handsome. She thinks I am __**handsome. **__Elizabeth thinks I am handsome! How is it that a simply compliment that I have been paid hundreds of times by women, is able to make my heart beat so?_ The tumult of Darcy's mind was too great to be expressed into words, and he could hardly think of any words to say. Having just discovered that he was in love merely less than an hour ago, he had been nearly unable to speak anything but gibberish all night. Now, his brains and heart were mush.

"I, you, we, I, but," He cleared his throat again, and tried to thank her properly. "I thank you, Elizabeth- I mean Miss Elizabeth! Erm…" Darcy closed his eyes for a moment, and took deep breaths. Surely Elizabeth was either thinking him a rake, or mentally insane.

It was nearer to the mentally insane bit. _Why did he call me Elizabeth? I am afraid that Mr. Darcy may be ill…. Or confused… Perhaps he is insane? Don't be ridiculous Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy isn't insane. _**(A/N: Or is he? Da, da, DAAAA! Just kidding. Utterly besotted? Yes. Insane? No.)**

"I am trying to say thank you, but it is not coming out right," he attempted to explain helplessly. Luckily for Darcy, the dance chose that moment to end. Darcy and Elizabeth came to a halt, and he bowed to her as she curtsied to him in return. Darcy took her hand and led her over to the refreshments.

"Mr. Darcy, I am afraid that we rather strayed from the topic. Whatever were you thinking about, while we were dancing?"

_What am I supposed to say? I can't very well tell her, __**Miss Bennet, you are the only thing I have thought about for months. I was thinking about how I love you, and wondering if I should propose or not, and if you would say yes. That is what I was thinking about!**_

Needless to say, Darcy decided that, "I was wondering what we will be served for supper," would suffice.

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><p>The ball was a smashing success. Every officer in the regiment was there, as were all the local residents of Meryton and Hertfordshire. Everyone danced and enjoyed themselves, and it was suppertime too quickly for most.<p>

Darcy had sullenly watched Elizabeth dance with Misters Bingley, Chamberlayne, Denny, Collins (Mr. Collins had said that he would only dance with her out of duty), and countless other men. He saw no point in dancing with any other woman, as he was in love with Elizabeth. The only other dances he danced were with Charlotte Lucas and Jane Bennet. He figured that if he was in love with Elizabeth, he should definitely get to know her two closest friends.

Watching Elizabeth dance had led him to watch other people dance, and one of those people had been Miss Jane. Reputed to be the most beautiful Bennet sister, Darcy admitted that she was stunning, but paled in comparison to his Elizabeth. _My Elizabeth. How well that sounds._ He was extremely displeased, however, with how Wickham was watching Miss Jane. The pair had danced two sets, and Wickham was currently switching between staring at Miss Jane and Miss Lydia like they were pieces of meat. Darcy was longing to do something, but as he was in the middle of a generally public ball, any hostile move against his childhood friend would not end well.

This brings us back to the same sentiments that Mr. Darcy expressed at the beginning of the ball. Waiting for his dance with Elizabeth, Fitzwilliam Darcy was bored.

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><p><strong>AN: YAY! The ball gets TWO chapters! Handing out candy for Halloween can be exhausting, guys. But I saw 5 Harry Potter's! They were so cute. Except no Mr. Darcy's…. What is wrong with the world? Anyways: I HAVE A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU! The 2011 twenty sixth of November is coming up soon, in twenty seven days, to be exact. As this is the only important exact date mentioned in Pride and Prejudice that is significant for Darcy and Elizabeth, LET'S CELEBRATE! I want to see how many Netherfield Ball one-shots we can get up on the site! Rules: Must be a one, two, or three shot about the Netherfield Ball on the 26****th**** of November. Can be from any character's perspective, or not from a particular character's view at all, as long as he or she attended the ball. And, it must be posted on that date. It will be fun to see what everyone wrote! If you plan on participating, review!**


	7. Falling in Love With Mr Darcy

**A/N: I AM BACK! I bet you all hate me, and I am really REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY… (Ten years later) REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY sorry for not updating in *gasp* over a month! Life has gotten in the way. I always write and update on weekends, but my weekends have been SUPER FULL. But I'm back, and with (finally) the second part of the ball! YAY! I just want to give a ginormous thanks to those who have reviewed, and I hope that my LONG absence from this story hasn't made anyone lose interest! Review if you want! (I need to know that SOMEBODY is still reading this at least.)**

Beautiful music filled the air amongst laughter and general merriment. The Colonel and Mrs. Forester had asked some of the officers who enjoyed and played music to play at their ball. After a few hours of dancing and enjoying company, the supper break had finally arrived.

Elizabeth Bennet was relieved to have her horrid dance with Mr. Collins end. He had spent most of the dance insulting her and Mr. Darcy, despite her constant protests that nothing was going on in that quarter. Eventually, she zoned out the derision of her ridiculous cousin and counted down the dance steps until it was over.

As she made her way into the hallway, she spotted a rather uncomfortable sight. Her beloved sister Jane was standing in a rather secluded corner with Mr. Wickham, who was perhaps too close to Jane than propriety would normally allow. There was not another soul in sight of the dark hall. Elizabeth's eyes narrowed as Mr. Wickham leaned down and kissed Jane's hand, before leaving to go join some of his fellow officers. Jane smiled contentedly and made her way over to her younger sister.

"Isn't the ball so wonderful, Lizzy?" Jane asked dreamily. Elizabeth replied rather suspiciously, "Yes, I suppose it is. Say, Jane, have you been spending much time with Mr. Wickham?"

Jane looked surprised, and then she blushed. "Yes, when you and Mr. Darcy go on your walks, I have been fortunate enough to encounter Mr. Wickham in town several times."

Elizabeth closed her eyes for a moment, remembering what Mr. Darcy had said about Mr. Wickham.

"Jane, I believe that you like Mr. Wickham. Is this true?" Rather unnerved by Elizabeth's strange tone of voice, Jane replied cautiously, "Yes, I do like him. Very much, actually, I do not see how anybody could not like him. He has such an easy manner around people, and goodness becomes his countenance after a mere brief meeting. Do you like him, Lizzy?"

Her sister hesitated. _What should I tell Jane? That Mr. Darcy informed me that Wickham is not to be trusted? But how will she take that? I do not wish to ruin the ball for her… But I also would not wish for dear Jane to become too attached to an untrustworthy man! Whatever do I do?_

After great contemplation, Elizabeth replied, "I must warn you Jane, I fear that Mr. Wickham is not to be trusted. Although easiness becomes his countenance, it does not mean that he is good on the inside as well. Please be cautious, sister."

Jane looked astonished. "Why ever do you not trust him, Lizzy? Mr. Wickham has always been completely civil to you, even though you are friends with Mr. Darcy!"

As shock became her countenance, Elizabeth's eyes narrowed. "I am not aware of how my acquaintance with Mr. Darcy would affect my interaction with Mr. Wickham. Pray, inform me, dear sister, of how this could be so?" With a slight jolt, Elizabeth realized that for the first time in her twenty years, she was arguing with her elder sister.

Said sister realized this as well, but was not to be deterred. "Mr. Wickham has told me that he was cheated out of an inheritance by Mr. Darcy. He was the son of the late Mr. Darcy's steward, and the said deceased gentleman was fond of him. Mr. Darcy senior told his son that on his passing, Mr. Wickham was to receive a commission from the church. When the present Mr. Darcy's father died, Mr. Darcy denied Mr. Wickham the inheritance and now he is forced to make his own way out in the world!"

Anger became Elizabeth's face. "Jane! How could you say such awful things about Mr. Darcy! Who is to say that Mr. Wickham is not lying?"

Her elder sister was also becoming angry, for the first time in her life. "Are you suggesting, Elizabeth, that I am not intelligent enough to discern for myself blatant lies from truth?"

"No, I am merely implying that you were too fooled by how handsome Mr. Wickham looked in his regimentals to give truth to what he said after so short an acquaintance!" For a moment, the two girls were silent in the hallway. They could both hear the music coming from the ballroom, and the laughter from the dining room. But what Elizabeth had said of her sister's supposed shallowness hung in the air like a dreaded toxin.

Jane was the first to speak. "From your logic, dear sister, we must be forced to concur that you are biased towards Mr. Darcy as well, for he is a rich and handsome gentleman with a great estate in Derbyshire. Perhaps, Elizabeth, all of the Bennet girls are this shallow!" She snapped.

Elizabeth glared at her sister. "I am friends with Mr. Darcy for mutual enjoyment in company and intelligent conversation, which I can clearly not partake in with you!"

Miss Bennet laughed in derision. "Yes, mutual enjoyment indeed. The man is clearly in love with you, Elizabeth! Are you the only one daft enough to not realize it?"

After a slight pause where Elizabeth's brain deciphered what Jane had said, she recovered herself enough to reply. "You, Jane, have no right to say that I am daft when it is you whom fell for such dreadful lies! Even before Mr. Wickham entered the neighborhood, Mr. Darcy had told me that he and his sister Georgiana encountered problems with an untrustworthy gentleman! It was only after Mr. Wickham came to Meryton that he even mentioned his name! Put the facts together, Jane, and you will see the truth!"

Jane's stern gaze faltered for a moment before she was able to conduct a response. "I already see the truth, thank you very much. And the truth is that you are so reliant on Mr. Darcy that you will not look past the weakness of his argument towards Mr. Wickham! It is you that needs to see the truth, sister, not I. And if the truth is that I feel affection towards Mr. Wickham, then so be it!"

Elizabeth realized the extreme consequences of the sisters' argument. As she thought for a moment on what Jane had said, she recalled the extreme pain in Mr. Darcy's eyes when he even mentioned Mr. Wickham. She trusted Darcy's judgment completely, and knew that she could think about it later. What needed to be done now was persuade Jane that Wickham was not to be trusted.

"Please, Jane," she begged. "Do not so easily believe everything that he has said to you! I am your sister, and I only have your best interests at heart. I have a very bad feeling about your affection for Mr. Wickham! Just do not do anything rash, Jane. Look at what he has done to you already! This aggressiveness was not part of your disposition before. I do not like this new Jane!"

Her sister had tears in her eyes as she finally said, "If you do not like me, Elizabeth, than I suggest you stay away from me." Jane wiped her eyes and left for the dining room.

Elizabeth stood in the hallway, as unmoving as a statue. She felt angry tears threaten to emerge, but would not allow it. She had never argued with Jane before. Nobody ever had. A part of Elizabeth felt awful about it, but another was simply angry and confused. Why was Mr. Wickham saying such terrible things about Darcy? The rumor could not possibly be true, could it?

Elizabeth briefly wondered how many people Wickham had told the story to, but quickly took that thought out of her head. The townspeople respected Mr. Darcy, as he was a frequent visitor to the shops. He was especially known to buy small pastries from the bakery, typically for Elizabeth on their walks. Elizabeth was confident that the citizens of Meryton would stand by Darcy in the event of such a terrible rumor being spread.

What was to be done with Jane? Elizabeth had a forewarning feeling inside her that absolutely nothing good would come of her relations with Mr. Wickham. But Elizabeth simply had no idea what to do about it. Her head full of concern for her sister, Elizabeth moved into the dining room.

-Break line-

Mrs. Forester had taken the liberty of placing Elizabeth next to Darcy, as her expectations of the couple were no less than the rest of Hertfordshire; marriage. Little did Elizabeth Bennet know that the news was making its way to London already that Fitzwilliam Darcy, Derbyshire's most eligible bachelor, was falling for a country miss with virtually no fortune to be known.

As Elizabeth sat next to him, Darcy gripped his fork tightly. He was still unaccustomed to being in love, and was not entirely sure how to proceed, although he had spent the majority of the ball trying to figure it out. One thing was for sure; he would not handle it the way Wickham would. Darcy almost laughed at what Lady Catherine's reaction to him seducing and eloping with Elizabeth Bennet would be. No, that option was definitely out.

He would simply have to take the time to woo her. Darcy was fairly certain that she was not in love with him at the present moment. As disappointing as the thought was, he was confident that it could quickly change. Despite his complete personal lack of romantic experience, he knew that these things took time. Well, not for him… But that was an exception. For who could not fall in love with Elizabeth Bennet immediately?

Mr. Darcy was taken out of his stupor suddenly by the glimpse of Elizabeth's pale face. "Miss Bennet, is something wrong?" He asked in alarm. As though she had just realized that he was there, she studied his face for a moment.

Coming to a decision, Elizabeth said quietly, "Mr. Darcy, I am afraid that I am in need of your counsel. As a close friend, I beg you to be honest in answer to my question."

His heart pounding silently yet very quickly, Darcy said, "I can honestly say that I would not lie to you ever, Miss Bennet." She looked up at him quickly, and for a moment they simply sat there looking at each other. Elizabeth looked down quickly, and then turned her gaze to Jane and Wickham.

"Mr. Darcy, can I trust Mr. Wickham with my sister Jane?" she asked softly. Darcy suddenly went stiff as his head snapped over to where Jane was laughing with his childhood friend. After a moment's contemplation, he responded.

"Miss Elizabeth, you asked me to be perfectly honest with you, so I shall. You cannot trust Wickham with your sister. In fact, you cannot trust Wickham with any young lady." He said the last part so ferociously that Elizabeth realized that Wickham must have been untrustworthy to a lady of Darcy's acquaintance. Clearly it was a very close acquaintance!

Elizabeth did not know how to respond. She did not like the sudden anger she was feeling towards the woman whom she did not even know. It did not matter if Mr. Darcy had feelings for a young lady. He was probably 26 or 27, making him either six or seven years older than Elizabeth herself. That was six or seven more years for him to fall in love! Elizabeth clenched her fists under the table. Why should she care if he was in love with another woman? It was none of her business whom Mr. Darcy was and was not attracted to. Although they were close friends, she had no claims over him. She had no rights to feel the way she felt! _But how do I feel?_ She wondered. _Am I… jealous?_

She quickly realized that she was over thinking Darcy's words _I asked him to be honest, and he was honest. It is not his fault that the honesty is painful for me. _This led Elizabeth's thoughts to another quarter. _But why is it painful for me? Why should I care that Mr. Darcy is in love with someone else? It is not like I am in love with him._ As soon as she thought it, Elizabeth realized how close her feelings for Mr. Darcy were to love. _Oh dear lord, I am falling in love with Mr. Darcy! Whatever can I do?_

Laughter what almost her reaction to this piece of news. _It is ridiculous that such slight emotion in his voice could lead me to invent an entire circumstance about his past, guess his age, become jealous, and realize that I am falling in love with him! _Then, of course, she realized that she had sat there for several minutes without speaking to Mr. Darcy.

"Oh, I apologize, sir, was merely processing this information." Elizabeth immediately scolded herself for sounding so bland. _Say something else, Elizabeth! He was speaking with actual feelings, not empty words!_

The jealous part of Elizabeth began to take over. "I thank you for being honest with me, Mr. Darcy. I fear you will find me impertinent to ask this, but my childlike mind must know; has a lady of your acquaintance had any particular trouble with Mr. Wickham?"

To say that Darcy was startled by the question was overrated, but he was surprised. "Yes, Miss Bennet, a young lady of my acquaintance was as unfortunate as to be fooled by Wickham's mannerisms."

Elizabeth pretended to be occupied with cutting her meat. "Hmm. And may I take the liberty of asking if this young lady was close to you?" Her last words came out sharp.

_What can she mean by this? Is Elizabeth… No, she can't be. _Darcy had an idea of what was going on, but decided to try her further.

"Yes, the young lady in question is very important to me. It was painful for me to see her so heartbroken because of that gentleman." Elizabeth stopped cutting her meat as she froze. _It hurt him to see her in love with another man! Why would this ridiculous girl fall for Mr. Wickham when Mr. Darcy was in love with her instead? _"I see," she replied curtly.

_I cannot believe it. Elizabeth is actually jealous. Perhaps she does like me! _But at seeing her pained expression, Darcy decided to end his teasing.

"The lady whom Mr. Wickham fooled was my sister, Georgiana. It only happened this August," he said softly. Elizabeth looked up in surprise. _This means that Mr. Darcy is not in love! Oh dear, poor Georgiana. Poor Darcy! _Elizabeth knew that he cared so much for his sister that her young heart being broken would deeply wound Darcy.

"Oh Mr. Darcy, I am so sorry. I feel simply horrid for making you speak of it!"

Darcy looked at her in surprise, and at her concern for his feelings, turned his expression into a more gentle one. "I thank you for your concern, Miss Bennet, but it is alright. I am glad you know," he said softly.

She smiled at him, and then turned to Jane and Wickham in worry. "I must admit, Mr. Darcy, that I fear for my sister Jane. We had an argument, and I have told you that Jane never argues with anyone. I am scared at the influence he already has on her, Mr. Darcy. They have only known each other for a few days, but Jane's heart has already been touched. The aggressiveness that she showed towards me was very unlike her. I worry that she will be hurt."

Rather unsure of himself, Darcy put his hand over hers that was on the table between them. "Do not worry, Miss Elizabeth, I am sure that your sister shall be fine." Elizabeth felt her heart thump at the small gesture of caring, and still felt his touch long after the meal was over and his hand had moved.

-Break Line-

At another table in the room, a very different conversation was taking place.

"You look astoundingly beautiful this evening, Miss Bennet." Jane Bennet blushed at Mr. Wickham's compliment.

"I would thank you, Mr. Wickham, but I believe that I already have repeatedly," she teased. Wickham smiled at her. _Only a few days of acquaintance and she already has feelings for me! Why, this Jane Bennet will be an even easier prize than Georgiana Darcy would have been._

"I fear, Miss Bennet, that you are not yourself. Are you quite alright? Such a lovely lady as yourself should not be upset at a dance!" George Wickham had noticed Jane's sadness, and was intending to use it to his advantage.

Jane looked up in surprise, unaware that her discomfort was so evident. She figured, however, that the connection she had felt with Mr. Wickham on meeting him (that he informed her he felt too) made it easy for him to decipher her emotions.

"I confess, Mr. Wickham, that I am not in the best mood. I had an argument with Elizabeth, and I fear that we shall never reconcile."

Wickham pretended to care about Jane's distress. "How awful! Forgive me if I take the liberty in asking this question; whatever was the argument about?"

Jane sighed. "I fear that Elizabeth fancies herself in love with none other than Mr. Darcy. He is obviously in love with her as well, but I fear his intentions. If he is as untrustworthy as you related to me, how do we know that he will do well by her?"

Wickham did not even hear the last part of her concerns. "Miss Bennet, I must know if I heard you correctly. Did you say that Darcy is in love with your sister?"

Jane looked surprised. "Yes, I believe most of the town knows it, he is quite obviously infatuated with her." Jane laughed. "In fact, she is the only young lady he has bothered to befriend here! Mr. Darcy has unknowingly broken some hearts here already, including Kitty and Lydia!"

She was cut off by Wickham. "Yes yes, but he is in love with her, is that right?"

His dinner partner was surprised by his abrupt interruption. "Yes, he is. Ask any of the residents of Meryton and the neighboring estates. Mr. Bingley, Kitty and I conversed over it the other day. The two of them thought that it would be splendid if they became married. After what you have told me," Jane sighed. "I am not so sure it would be a good idea anymore."

_So Darcy is in love. With a country girl none the less! Oh, this is gold. No, this is better than gold. This circumstance is as perfect for me as being the master of Pemberley itself! Darcy will never propose to her, his sense of "honor" and "decorum" shall never allow it. Such an opportunity has surely never presented itself to mankind before! This is my perfect revenge._

As Wickham thought of his plan to bring about Darcy's great undoing, he glanced over at the man in question. Just in time, he saw Mr. Darcy gently put his hand on top of Elizabeth's. Wickham smirked. _Oh Darcy, you fool. Just wait until I get my revenge. Just wait. _The plan was perfect. All that was left to do was wait.

**A/N: IT'S DONE! YAY! How'd you like part 2 of the ball? Wickham is evil. This chapter wasn't very funny, it was more serious than some of my other chapters have been. I thought about making it longer, but then decided that more Darcy/Elizabeth flirting/realizing feelings stuff while good, would just seem spread too thin. Jane was kinda OOC with the whole argument thing, but here's my idea; she's been spending time with Wickham, and he is subtly influencing her to be more… aggressive, I guess? Also, she thinks she's falling in love with Wickham, so she got mad when Lizzy started insulting him. Sorry for the lack of Mr. Collins in this chapter, he just didn't really belong anywhere. (Not that he usually does…) PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW YOU ARE STILL OUT THERE! And thanks for all of the EPIC reviews that I have gotten so far.**


	8. Guests at Netherfield

**Disclaimer: I am way too sarcastic to be as classy as Jane Austen. :)**

**A/N: Heeeeyyyyy! I actually am alive! :) I AM SO SORRY I HAVE BEEN GONE! It's called writer's block, and I had it for like 3 months. UNTIL 3 DAYS AGO! :) So, here is a pretty great chapter, if I do say so myself! I have edited my original plotline! I paired somebody with somebody else, and like it a lot better, because I found a new pairing that I LOVE! I'll tell you what it is when it comes up. SO PLEEEEEEASE REIVEW! :))))))**

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><p><em>Dear Aunt Caroline,<em>

_I hope that this letter sees you all well in the House of Matlock. As Richard may have told you, I am currently staying with my good friend Charles Bingley in Hertfordshire, where he has rented a home. It is his first attempt at running an estate, and I have been assisting him where help is needed._

_Aunt, I am afraid that I will not be able to join you for Christmas this year. I have made the decision to stay here in Hertfordshire with the Bingleys, away from the excessive balls and parties of London at Christmastime. Certain motivations have helped me make this decision, and I hope that you will understand. Charles has offered to invite Richard and Georgiana as well, so if they accept the invitation, they will not be present at the family dinner or Christmas ball as well. I offer congratulations to Cousin Emmeline for the news of her firstborn being delivered safely, and I hope to see you and my uncle this spring at Pemberley._

_Your loving nephew,_

_Fitzwilliam Darcy_

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><p><em>Richard,<em>

_I feel that it has been much too long since I last wrote to you. How have you and Georgiana been in London? I plan to pen a letter to her after I finish writing this one, so you need not send me any droll details about tea parties and balls. I am sure her response to me will be full of those "delights" which I despise._

_Hertfordshire is a very enjoyable county, and I have been sincerely happy staying here with Charles and his siblings. The neighbors, although in general not the brightest gentry, are kind and welcoming. I have become particularly acquainted with a Miss Elizabeth Bennet, for she is certainly the most beautiful and charming intelligent woman in this county, and perhaps in my whole acquaintance. I think that you would like her very much._

_There have been many dinner and tea parties here, and as much as I despise the events in general, I have found myself enjoying the company I have had the opportunity to spend time with. In fact, just last night the Colonel and Mrs. Forester held a ball. Miss Elizabeth and I actually led the first dance, as the two of us gave the idea to have a ball. It was a very nice evening, and I found myself looking forward to an assembly that is to be held in Meryton (a neighboring town to Netherfield) in two weeks time._

_Believe it or not, Richard, I have an ulterior motive to writing you this letter, which is not merely to acquaint you with my sudden love for parties. I have written to inform you that I will not be returning to London for Christmas. Bingley wishes to spend the holiday here in his new residence, and I have found the attraction of my friend Miss Elizabeth's company a small Christmas affair away from the prying eyes of London's ton too much to overlook. That being said, I know that I had promised your mother and father that I would spend the holiday with their noble house this year. I believe that they will be accepting of my plans, for I sent a letter to my Aunt Caroline not half an hour ago. (As you can probably tell, I have been updating my correspondence this morning.)_

_I do, however, wish to spend this Christmas with you and Georgiana, as has been our tradition. At my request, Bingley has invited you to stay with us here at Netherfield for the remainder of my stay. (Which I suspect will be until our visit to Rosings Park in March.) Also, I wish to invite your brother Thomas to join us, as Georgiana has informed me that he has been spending nearly as much time with her as you have (if that is possible). I have not seen him in a long time, and from Georgiana's letters, it seems that your parents have been pressuring him into choosing a bride from the Ton, and that he does not wish to. Coming to Hertfordshire will be a refreshing break for him. That is, if he can stand his own against the matchmaking mamas here in Meryton._

_As you obviously know by now, Bingley is to deliver you and Georgiana your letters when he reaches London tomorrow for business. He will personally invite you to stay with us, if he has not already. Please give Thomas my regards, and let him know that I wish to see him immensely. If all three of you plan to come to Netherfield, I hope to expect you at the end of the week._

_Anticipating your arrival,_

_F. Darcy_

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><p><em>Dear Georgiana,<em>

_How have you been, Georgiana? I know I only wrote to you a few days ago, but I have some news. I will not be traveling to London for Christmas this year, and instead hope to see you and our cousins Richard and Thomas here in Hertfordshire with me. I do hope you can all make it, for I have wanted to introduce you and Richard to the lady I have spoken of, Miss Elizabeth Bennet._

_I think that you would like her very much, Georgiana; she is very sociable, and can make even the most reserved individuals, like myself, feel at ease. She enjoys practicing the pianoforte, and I have told her of how accomplished you are in the musical arts. Miss Elizabeth said she would wish to hear you play some day, and I hope you will play for her if you come. We opened the ball last night, and if you can believe it, Georgiana, I actually enjoyed dancing with someone other than you! It is quite a remarkable feat for your old brother here; as you know that I only willingly dance with my lovely sister. Although Miss Elizabeth is quite lovely too. Miss Elizabeth is, however, a very fine dancer, and made it quite enjoyable._

_I am afraid that I will have to cut this letter short, Georgiana, for Bingley has already delayed his journey to London for an hour so that I could write to you and Richard. We are afraid that his horse will leave without him if it is kept waiting much longer. (That was supposed to be a joke; I have been trying to pick up on Miss Elizabeth's knack for humor. Although I am not sure I have done well on it, for one should not be required to define their joke as such, should they?) I hope to see you, Thomas and Richard sometime this week._

_Ever your brother,_

_Fitzwilliam D._

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><p>Darcy sighed and rubbed his face with his hand as he handed Richard and Georgiana's letters to Bingley. It had been a long morning of answering correspondence from various businessmen in London, his estate manager at Pemberley, several farmers on his Derbyshire property, and writing to his aunt, cousin, and sister. As he checked his watch, he groaned when he saw that he had been locked up in the study for four hours straight with his mail. Seeing his friend's exasperation, Bingley laughed.<p>

"Whatever is the matter, Darcy? I shall only be gone for three days. There is no reason to be so upset by it."

Darcy glared at him, and Charles laughed. "I don't think you shall find it as funny, Charles, when it is you who spends half the day in a dark study doing estate work."

The mirth on Bingley's face lessened, but he simply laughed as he walked out the door, calling over his shoulder, "Not for a few years yet, Darcy, you old bloke!"

As the door shut behind Bingley, the house fell silent at last. The Hursts and Miss Bingley were somewhere inside the house, and all still thought that Darcy was in the study doing his work. He had no desire to correct their assumptions. Mr. Darcy was exceedingly tired from all of his correspondence of the morning and early afternoon, and also irritated by the fact that he hadn't been able to walk with Elizabeth today. The ball had not ended until around three in the morning, and Darcy figured any reasonable person (as Elizabeth certainly was) would want their sleep.

It had been around noon during the time that Darcy was reviewing papers for a lawsuit from one of his tenants, when Bingley came in to discuss their Christmas plans. Caroline had shown signs of wanting to return to London for Christmas, while Charles wanted to stay in his new home for the first time during a holiday. Darcy had posed the idea to stay at Netherfield, asking if his sister and cousins could be invited to stay with them. Charles, made ecstatic by the idea of having a house party, agreed immediately, and offered to invite Richard, Thomas, and Georgiana while he conducted his business in London. Darcy's mood was lightened by the prospect of seeing his best friend and sister, and also his cousin Thomas, who he had not seen in over eight months.

Thomas Fitzwilliam was the oldest son of the Earl of Matlock, and one of Richard's two siblings. He had been going on a tour of Europe for the past 5 months, and had just returned from Scotland in time for the start of the London season. At thirty years of age, his parents had decided that it was time for him to marry, and he was forced to endure having every eligible maiden from age fifteen to forty thrown at him from all angles.

Darcy figured that he needed a break from bride-hunting. Although taking a break by going on vacation to the house three miles down the road from Mrs. Franny Bennet may not have been a brilliant idea…

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><p>Elizabeth could simply not understand why Jane was not speaking to her. They had certainly had arguments before, but they usually ended, well, right after they began. It was not like Jane to hold a grudge for twelve hours. She had woken up late in the morning, as was expected after an exhausting night such as the one before, and gone down to breakfast. Mary was the only one awake, and she informed her that Jane had left for town not half an hour before. Elizabeth had no doubt that it was to see Mr. Wickham again. Eventually Jane returned home from Meryton, but she refused to speak or look at Elizabeth.<p>

Mr. Bingley paid them call on his way out of town that afternoon. He stayed for half an hour, explained to a frantic Mrs. Bennet that he was only leaving for London to do business and fetch some of Darcy's family and would be back in three days time, and managed to have decent conversation with Kitty regarding the ball before he was forced to leave.

Jane immediately went back to her room after Mr. Bingley left, pleading that she had a headache. Elizabeth did not quite believe this, but was silent.

Currently, Elizabeth was attempting to practice the pianoforte, when she heard the shouting from upstairs.

"JANE! Jane, OPEN THE DOOR! Mr. Collins wishes to speak with you! JANE!" Elizabeth felt her face pale at her mother's shouts. There was no suitable reason for Mr. Collins to request a private audience with her sister unless he was going to propose!

She heard her sister open the door and say something in response to her mother's cries, and the two came down the stairs. Mrs. Bennet was clapping her hands in excitement, while Jane was pale. Very pale.

Elizabeth stood up from the piano, and moved over to her mother and Jane, hoping to save her sister.

"Actually, mama, I was going to ask Mr. Collins if he would like to join me on a walk into Meryton." As she said that, the man in question walked into the room, in his pompous glory.

"Nonsense, Cousin Elizabeth!" he cried. "I have the urgent need to discuss a very private matter with my Cousin Jane. Anyhow, although it would only be proper for a clergyman with a living from Lady Catherine de Bourgh, the esteemed aunt of your friend Mr. Darcy, to escort you into Meryton, I cannot. You shall have to wait until my business with Miss Bennet is complete before you beg for my company."

… Elizabeth took that as a no, he was not going to go to town with her. She tried another tactic to delay Jane's inevitable fate.

"But surely, Mr. Collins, you would not wish to speak of something so crucial to you and Jane while she is in the state of having a headache? She may not be feeling well enough to discuss important matters at the moment." Jane looked at her sister, surprised that after how they had argued the night prior, she was defending her now. She offered Elizabeth a small smile, which she warmly returned. They had unofficially acknowledged that their argument was over.

Mrs. Bennet, however, was not to be stopped. One of her daughters was going to marry Mr. Collins, and even though Jane's great beauty would be wasted on someone who she considered "less worthy" of her daughter, if it was Jane that Mr. Collins wanted for a wife, then it was Jane that Mr. Collins would get!

"No, don't be so impertinent Lizzy! Jane is perfectly fine, and she WILL speak with Mr. Collins NOW. Come here Jane, Mr. Collins, you may discuss in here." Mrs. Bennet led them to the dining room and shut the door. Elizabeth watched in dismay.

"Mama, you surely cannot make sweet Jane marry such a fool as Mr. Collins!" she whispered frantically at her mother.

Mrs. Bennet just rolled her eyes. "Lizzy, do think about it! The only way that Mr. Collins will not make us starve in the hedgerows when he inherits Longbourn is if one of you girls marries him! He obviously wants to marry Jane, so marry Jane he will!"

Elizabeth had one last attempt to save Jane from her mother's matchmaking. "Jane is the most beautiful of us five daughters, mama! She is the most sweet and beautiful girl in all of Hertfordshire! Do you not agree that she could attract a much wealthier man than Mr. Collins? Think of it mama! 5,000, maybe even 10,000 a year! We could buy a new home!"

Her mother appeared to consider if for a moment, before she shook her head. "I agree with you, my dear, Jane's beauty would be wasted on Mr. Collins, but we MUST keep Longbourn in the family. Besides, you will be engaged to Mr. Darcy by February for sure, and EVERYONE knows that he has over 10,000 a year!"

Elizabeth was too embarrassed to continue the conversation any further.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, Mr. Collins and Jane finally emerged from the dining room. Jane looked horrified, and Mr. Collins ecstatic. Elizabeth had been sitting in a chair outside the door, and stood up immediately when the two entered the parlor.<p>

She looked at Jane, who only looked distressed. Mr. Collins approached her.

"My dear Cousin Elizabeth, if you will excuse me, I must go and write to Lady Catherine de Bourgh." he kissed her hand, did the same to Jane, and hastily left the room.

Elizabeth turned to her sister in surprise. "I do believe that that was the shortest sentence with Lady Catherine in it that the man has ever uttered!" she joked. It did not ease the tension on Jane's face. Elizabeth took her hands and led her over to the sofa, where the two girls sat down.

"Jane, I cannot bear the suspense. Tell me what happened!"

A moment later, Jane began the recount of what happened in the room with Mr. Collins.

"He began by telling me that there was an undeniable attraction between the two of us, and that his patroness, Lady Catherine, wanted him to marry. He said that it was his job as a clergyman to choose a wife, and he charitably picked one of us Bennet girls, so we could keep our home. Presumptuous is not the word to describe it, perhaps more like over-confident? Yes, he was confident in his addresses to me. Eventually, he proposed."

Jane took a shaky breath, but continued her tale. "I did not know what to say. I did NOT want to marry him, but I didn't want to hurt his feelings either! I was under stress from our terrible argument last night at the ball, and everything simply hit me at once, so I told him that I would like to get to know him better before we come to any kind of arrangement. Mr. Collins told me that he would ask me again after Christmas."

Her sister smiled and wiped a tear from her face. "I am proud of you, sister, for not relenting to him. It caught you by surprise, and I am confident that when he asks again, you will have planned your refusal in a way that will not pain him too immensely."

Jane smiled, but then grasped her sister's hand tightly. "Lizzy, I am so sorry about our argument. I was being foolish and impertinent, and I was so rude to you, and-"

Elizabeth held up a hand to stop her. "Now Jane, I forgive you, and hope you forgive me. If you hold affection for," she took a breath and tried to hold in her anger, "Mr. Wickham, than I will not question you. Just please be careful, sister."

The elder Miss Bennet's face hardened slightly, but she smiled and replied, "I shall. Same for you and Mr. Darcy."

Holding in her true feelings of discontent, Elizabeth smiled and said, "There. Now we will simply pretend that it didn't happen."

The girls talked more, but eventually Jane went upstairs to rest, for she truly did have a headache. Elizabeth frowned as the door closed, immersing herself in her thoughts. _I only hope that Jane discovers Mr. Wickham's true character for herself before it is too late._

* * *

><p>The next day, Darcy and Elizabeth went out for their walk. They did not hold much conversation, both feeling slightly awkward about their freshly discovered feelings for each other, and too caught up in their private concerns to notice the other's discontent. Darcy was finally able to bring up the news of his sister and cousins' probable visit, and Elizabeth expressed delight in getting to meet them. They cut the walk short, as it was rather chilly outside, and they parted in a better mood than they began with.<p>

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><p>Two days after Darcy sent his letter to Colonel Fitzwilliam, he was reading in Netherfield library. The library was the one place where Caroline Bingley never ventured, and Darcy doubted that she even knew if it existed. He was currently reading Shakespeare's <em>Hamlet<em>, and was very wrapped up in his book when the library doors harshly opened to reveal two young men. They exchanged a smirk and approached Darcy, one of them taking his book, closing it, and setting it on the table.

Darcy grinned. "Thomas! Richard! You made it!" Col. Richard Fitzwilliam of Her Majesty's Royal Army laughed and said, "Of course we did! Your sister, unfortunately, wasn't as lucky as us. She is too kind for her own good, and is currently unable to escape from Miss Bingley's 'pleasantries'."

Thomas scoffed and replied, "More like UN-pleasantries."

The three cousins laughed, and Richard turned back to Darcy after exchanging yet another look with his older brother. "Darcy, my question is, when do we get to meet the infamous Miss Elizabeth Bennet?"

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><p><strong>AN: I hope you liked it! I was excited about the letters, how did they turn out? Tell me in a review! :)**


	9. Urgent Matters

**Disclaimer: Jane Austen didn't know about the Weasley twins, and therefore couldn't have loosely based her Colonel Fitzwilliam off of one of them. IDK which one, so let's just say Fred. Yes, Fred…**

**A/N: Hey you guys! I finished Pride and Prejudice and High School the other day, and pressing the button that marked the story as "Complete" made me kind of sad. So I decided to write this to cheer myself up! I need to thank Harriate Slate-Thing-Hari-Hu for the insightful review, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I KINDA ENVISIONED MY FITZWILLIAMS AS! :D! LOL! Ahem. So, let's get this story on the road! And the reviews on the… On the… On whatever reviews are on!**

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><p>There was nothing like a glass of port to bring back together three cousins who hadn't seen each other in months. This technique had, in fact, been used to catch up on the happenings of many gentlemen throughout the ages, whom had been separated for a long length of time. It was a much favored pastime of many English, French, and even American gentlemen. Therefore, it would be expected that the Colonel Fitzwilliam, Mr. Darcy, and Mr. Fitzwilliam would reunite in the same way. Mr. Darcy assumed that he would be greeting his two friends over a glass of port.<p>

Caroline Bingley determined otherwise.

No sooner had the trio begun to ask after each other's health, than the doors flew open to reveal their formidable hostess and Darcy's younger sister.

The ladies came and sat down in the sitting area with the gentlemen, and the awkward conversation that ensued went something like this;

"Mr. Darcy, you did not tell me that your delightful sister and cousins would be joining us!"

"Forgive me, madam, I had informed your brother Charles, and assumed that he would tell you."

"Oh, Charles is _always_ forgetting such important matters such as this. If I had known that there were to be three extra guests, I would have prepared more!"

"Forgive us the intrusion, Miss Bingley, had your brother not invited us and informed us that the house was equipped for visitors, we would never have invaded your hospitality on such short notice."

"Oh! No, that is not what I meant, Colonel Fitzwilliam, not at all. I am always _happy_ to have my dear friend Georgiana here with me, and indeed, _any _relation of the Darcys at all."

"I am glad to hear it."

"Indeed, for it really has been such a droll party here, just Charles, Lousia, Mr. Hurst, and Darcy here to keep me company. Not to mention the positively _gruesome _manners of the neighbors. I have been in great need of more friends."

"Pardon me, madam, but what is so wrong with the manners of the country-folk around here? From what my brother said Darcy's letters conveyed, the gentry in Hertfordshire sound like a pleasant, jolly group of people."

"Oh, so they are, Mr. Fitzwilliam! Of course, they are such happy mannered people, and I am pleased to call each and every one of them my dear friends. It is only that their manners are so savage and without decorum, that I find it insupportable."

"It must be most inconvenient, Miss Bingley, to have such awful, savage people as you describe to be your dearest friends. Indeed, I was under the impression that you preferred only the best mannered persons that society has to offer in your company."

Everyone was so surprised to hear Georgiana contribute to the conversation, that for a few moments, nobody knew what to say at all. Miss Darcy colored, realizing that she had just professed such a witty opinion, and in public too! While Miss Bingley began to collect herself, Thomas and Darcy began coughing to hide their laughter. The handsome Colonel had no qualms against a public display of mirth, and with great appreciation for Georgiana's humor, replied, "Certainly! I agree most heartily with you, Georgiana."

He then continued, "Miss Bingley, I fear that my dear cousin may be indisposed from the long journey from town. Is that not right, Georgiana?"

She nodded quickly.

"May I show you to a maid who will take you to your room?" he asked her.

"Thank you," she squeaked.

Colonel Fitzwilliam offered her his arm, and she accepted it gratefully. The two of them left the room, and Darcy distinctly heard her sister whisper a thank you, and the Colonel laugh. Something seemed rather off about their behavior, something that Darcy could not quite put his finger on.

When he realized that Thomas was gracefully listening to Miss Bingley's raptures whilst stepping discreetly on his foot, Darcy snapped back into the conversation.

"For you see, Mr. Fitzwilliam, it is not the gentry that is the most uncivilized part of this wretched place. It is the regiment that has moved into Meryton! I only wish that all military men could have such class as your brother does, but alas, they do not."

Meryton. Regiment. Military men. Wickham.

Georgiana.

Darcy suddenly swore, very loudly, very nastily, and very repeatedly. He stood up, continued swearing, and left the room, scandalizing all of Netherfield's staff with the foul language he was yelling down the hall.

Once they could hear him no more, Caroline Bingley slowly turned her open-mouthed head to Thomas, who was shaking with uncontrollable laughter. After he calmed down, she asked him, "W-what just happened, sir?"

He pretended to think deeply about it for a moment, before shrugging. "What do I know of it? Perhaps Darcy has a stomachache." Then he too, left the room.

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><p>"RICHARD! RICHARD! Blast it, where on earth is that man? RICHARD!"<p>

Darcy was running through the guest wing, opening doors and slamming them shut when they were found to be empty. He needed to find his cousin, immediately. Georgiana could not stay here any longer. Not with Wickham just five miles away.

"RICHARD, WHERE THE BLOODY-" he stopped when he realized that the door he had flung open was the door to Georgiana's room, and that she was sitting at the desk writing, or, had been, and was currently looking at him with a most scandalized expression.

"Er, hello Georgiana." Darcy walked through the doorway and ran his hand through his hair nervously. "You haven't seen your cousin Richard, have you?"

She continued to stare at him in open mouthed-shock, at a loss for words.

Darcy ruffled his hair again, about to leave, when Richard walked in, saying, "Georgie, I found Mr. Jackson's address, you can write his sister back now. Really, I don't know why you have to 'decline the invitation', seeing as it was hardly an invitation from the hostess herself. Just because the gentleman _mentioned_ that he and his sister would like to have you for tea, does not necessarily mean that you have to tell him that you cannot come-"

Colonel Fitzwilliam stopped when he realized that Darcy was in the room.

Mr. Darcy looked on in amusement, leaning against the bedpost. "Are you done with your rant now, Richard, or shall I let you continue?"

Richard colored slightly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Hello Darcy, I didn't see you there. And it was not a rant! I was simply informing Georgiana that since it was not a proper invitation, it does not need a proper refusal!"

"But Richard," Georgiana protested, "Mr. Jackson personally invited me to take tea with them on Thursday, and I told him that I would come! I did not know that we were to leave town!" She turned to Darcy. "William, you agree that our cousin is being ridiculous and that there is no problem with me writing his sister back to inform her that I cannot come to tea?"

Darcy declared, "I do not even know whom you are talking about. Who is Mr. Jackson?"

Richard muttered, "Another of the many suitors of Georgiana."

Darcy gave him an odd look, but then said to Georgiana, "You cannot have a suitor!"

The Colonel threw his hands up in the air and said loudly, "That's what I told her!"

Their sister and cousin, respectively, rolled her eyes. "Mr. Jackson is just my friend. His sister and I have become better acquainted through him, and she wanted to get to know me better at tea. I should have known that my guardians would overreact!"

Her cousin looked rather uncomfortable. "We were _not_ overreacting! Don't say I am your guardian, I hardly do any thing fatherly enough to be considered a proper guardian. Darcy is your main guardian, I am more of your best friend slash most favored cousin."

"I heard that!" called a voice from the hallway. The trio turned to the door just in time to see Thomas walking down the hall, not even bothering to look up from his book.

Darcy shook his head in annoyance. "As enjoyable as our conversation has been, I have an urgent matter of business to discuss with the both of you. You too, Thomas!" he called down the hall.

Thomas walked in the room and sat down next to his brother on Georgiana's bed. Darcy stood up and shut the door. The three cousins exchanged looks, realizing how serious Darcy was.

He began gravely, "It turns out that someone of our previous acquaintance has taken a liking for the military. George Wickham is in town."

The Colonel's face turned red in anger, Thomas's white in fury, and Georgiana's pink in embarrassment.

"If that rascal comes anywhere NEAR our Georgiana, I swear I will personally wring his neck!" growled the Colonel.

Darcy ignored him, and went over to Georgiana, taking her hands in his.

"Georgiana, just say the word, and we will leave this county immediately. I will not be disappointed with you. Whatever will be the best for you is what we will do."

Georgiana chewed on her bottom lip in concentration. The three gentlemen waited patiently for two minutes, the Colonel pacing, Thomas sitting, and Darcy staring at his sister in concern.

Eventually, she looked up from her hands. "I want to stay," she said softly.

All three gentlemen were caught by surprise, and chorused, "_What?_"

"I want to stay." She repeated herself with a firmness that was hardly recognizable as Georgiana Darcy.

"Are you sure, darling?" Darcy asked his sister softly.

She nodded. "I will not give him the satisfaction that he has left me so scarred that I cannot even hear of his presence without running away. I am sixteen now. Many of the young women I know of in Town married at this age, and I was strong enough to be out in society for the past two months. I will not cower down like a little girl, William. George Wickham does not have that sort of influence over me anymore."

Her brother and cousins were frozen in place by the time she finished her speech. Never before had Georgiana professed such a courageous desire to stand up for herself. Darcy drew her into a hug, and said, "I am very proud of you, Georgiana."

"Thank you," she whispered.

Georgiana eventually pulled away and smiled at him mischievously. "I do not understand how you could have possibly thought I would leave the county, William, without meeting the infamous Miss Elizabeth Bennet!"

Her two cousins roared with laughter, and she joined in. After recovering from his humiliation at being discovered, Darcy started laughing too.

* * *

><p>In the parlor beneath them, Miss Bingley and the Hursts absentmindedly wondered what the ruckus was all about.<p>

* * *

><p>After the cousins calmed down, Darcy and the Fitzwilliams left Georgiana to write her letter in peace, Richard muttering something or other about "that blasted suitor".<p>

In the hall, Darcy stopped his cousins from going any further.

"Richard, can you use your military connections to somehow get Wickham's regiment out of Meryton?" Darcy asked in a low tone.

His cousin nodded. "I have already planned out the letter I intend to write to my superiors. They tend to favor towards me because of my father, and I know that Colonel Forster's regiment was meant to move out of Hertfordshire a week ago, but they were switched with another. I shall make sure that by the end of the week, if a regiment is in Meryton, it won't be this one."

Richard hesitated. "I want Wickham out as soon as possible, and I am afraid that the only way to do that is if I deliver the letter to London tonight." He spared a concerned glance at Georgiana's door.

Thomas took pity on him, and offered to go in his stead. The Colonel readily agreed, and went off to write his letter.

"Well, Darcy, I am afraid that you will have to introduce Richard and Georgiana to Miss Bennet without me. However shall you bear it with only one stubborn man teasing you?" Thomas joked.

Darcy groaned. "Good god, Thomas, do the lot of you constantly have to drive me into insanity? It is hard enough talking to her without you and Richard here to make it all the more awkward!"

Thomas just laughed.

* * *

><p>Five minutes later, Caroline Bingley was alarmed by the sight of Thomas Fitzwilliam running down the steps in his traveling clothes, with a letter in hand. He opened the front door of Netherfield Park and went down the steps to where a groomsman already had his horse. Miss Bingley hurried after him.<p>

"Mr. Fitzwilliam! Mr. Fitzwilliam, wait!" she called after him. He huffed in irritation and turned to her, his expression one of forced politeness.

"Yes, Miss Bingley?" he inquired through clenched teeth.

Miss Bingley collected herself and asked, "Where on earth do you think you are going?"

Thomas rolled his eyes. "Well, Miss Bingley, I _think_ that I am going to London. Where I end up, however, may be a different matter entirely."

She looked extremely confused. "But Mr. Fitzwilliam, you just got back from London not half an hour ago!"

"Yes, and off to London I go again. Good day, Miss Bingley."

For not the first time that day, Caroline Bingley was left alone in confusion.

* * *

><p>Elizabeth Bennet walked carelessly through the grounds of Longbourn Estate. Although very pretty grounds they were, the property was not exceedingly large, and left Elizabeth walking in circles every fifteen to twenty minutes or so. Jane was shopping in Meryton, and Elizabeth took the time alone to gather her thoughts.<p>

Although she had expressed otherwise, Elizabeth was most seriously displeased at her sister Jane's way of handling Mr. Collins. He and her mother would surely tell the whole neighborhood that the pair was engaged, and once he really did propose, Jane would refuse, and Elizabeth was sure that some scandal would be made up of it.

_Although, how could anyone ever think that dear Jane would be involved in a scandal? She is much too sweet and innocent to ever do anything remotely improper. _

Elizabeth sighed, and redirected her thoughts to the events of the morning. And what events they were. After Mrs. Philips had spotted a grand carriage and two finely-dressed handsome gentlemen on horseback passing through Meryton, she had questioned everyone in town about it. The only thing that anyone knew of the matter was that one of the gentlemen was a redcoat, and that the carriage and horses were directed for Netherfield Park. (The previous fact made Lydia and Kitty Bennet much too excited for Elizabeth's taste, and had resorted her to going outdoors.)

Naturally, as Elizabeth was rumored to have the closest acquaintance with anyone in the said estate, her Aunt Philips had come by to question her about the mysterious visitors. She told her the truth; that Mr. Darcy had not said anything about having visitors, and she hadn't the slightest idea of who they were.

Mrs. Philips had left five minutes later, disappointed at the lack of real gossip.

Elizabeth herself was most curious to find out who the people were. As she had told her aunt, Mr. Darcy had mentioned nothing that gave a hint of having the Netherfield party extended to include any more. All of Meryton knew that Mr. Bingley had gone to London for business, and as neither of the sighted gentlemen was the master of Netherfield himself, all were puzzled as to why the house was receiving guests when Mr. Bingley was not at home.

Most speculated that they must be very close friends of the Bingleys' to have such a privilege, and Elizabeth was forced to agree. She knew that Caroline and Louisa were only two of Mr. Bingley's five sisters, and wondered if it could be one of the other three coming to visit their siblings. But since Mr. Bingley wouldn't be home to receive his sisters, another part of Elizabeth thought that the carriage might belong to friends of Mr. Darcy.

She shook her head. _It's really none of my business anyway, and I suppose we will all find out tomorrow one way or another._ Elizabeth was startled from her thoughts by the sound of a carriage zooming up the drive of Longbourn, and as it screeched to a halt, there was lots of yelling, and the sound of her mother and sisters screaming. _What on earth?_

The lady began to run across the yard to the front of the house. What was going on? Elizabeth stopped in time to see Mr. Darcy yelling for her family to move out of the way, the butler holding the door open, and two teenage servants carrying something into the house. A man she did not recognize was shouting orders to a servant who nodded and took off full-speed on a horse. Suddenly, she saw that the thing the two boys were carrying was not, in fact, a thing, but a person. The rest of the party went inside, and Elizabeth was feeling like she could not get in fast enough.

The shouts inside of the house seemed even louder than the ones outside of it had been, and Elizabeth saw the person lowered onto the sofa, but could not tell who it was, due to the people crowding around the sofa.

Her mother's sobs eventually gave her the determination to push past her family, servants, and Mr. Darcy and his friend to see what all the fuss was about.

Elizabeth Bennet felt her heart stop. Laid out on the sofa was an unconscious Jane; there was blood on her face, her dress had been torn, and she was exceedingly pale. Jane was not moving.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: OH NO, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO JANE? Well, I already know what happened to Jane. You, however, don't. I love ending on cliffhangers! MWAHAHHA! Let me make you a deal: if everyone leaves me a review, I will try EXTRA HARD to make this update take less than one month. Okay? Good. So go review and tell me how much you LOVE me! :)**


	10. What Ever Happened To Jane?

**Disclaimer: I STILL don't own Pride and Prejudice. Also, I don't own the original Henry Higgins! He belongs to My Fair Lady, and the awesome triumph of the character belongs to the awesome actor Rex Harrison. So, yeah, I own nothing but Thomas Fitzwilliam!**

**A/N: Hi. This actually took a little longer than expected… Sorry for the slight wait. I had spring break this week! :) We just got home from Kansas City where I did LOTS of shopping! Spending money is fun...**

**IMPORTANT QUESTION: Would any of you read a one-shot from the movie My Fair Lady? Because I wrote one today that I am editing now, and I want to know if anybody would actually read it if I put it on the site, LOL! Please tell me in a review or PM if you would, because I have a few one-shot ideas for that category that I want to write! Also, I referenced that movie in here with Henry Higgins (see the disclaimer!)**

**Please enjoy, and as always, REVIEW! :)**

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><p>Jane awakened to the sound of faint voices. Even with her eyes closed, she recognized her dear sister Lizzy's voice, and as she listened, she discerned the sounds of what sounded like multiple men speaking. She opened her eyes and sat up slowly, looking around at her surroundings. The room that Jane was in was, in fact, the parlor of Longbourn. A quick glace around the room showed that Jane had indeed been correct, for there was Lizzy speaking with four gentlemen; their father, Mr. Darcy, the town's physician Mr. Jones, and another young man whom Jane did not recognize.<p>

The eldest Miss Bennet heard her name mentioned in the conversation, and listened in carefully.

Mr. Jones said, "Do not fret, Miss Elizabeth, Mr. Bennet. Miss Bennet will recover. Her head does not appear to be very hurt; there is merely the cut on her forehead and a slight bruise that will fade with time."

"If she is not injured, why did she faint?" Elizabeth inquired.

The doctor shrugged. "Perhaps she fainted from fatigue or shock. Mr. Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam, you said that the offending horses appeared to have startled her before she fell, is that correct?"

The two men exchanged a look, and the one who Jane assumed was Colonel Fitzwilliam nodded.

"Yes," said Mr. Jones, continuing his diagnosis, "it is very possible that she fainted from shock, and the blow to her head was simply all it took for poor Miss Bennet to collapse."

The five people then turned to look at poor Miss Bennet, and were rather surprised to see her sitting up and awake.

"Jane!" Elizabeth cried in joy. She ran over to the sofa and embraced her sister.

Mr. Bennet walked over to his daughters and gave Jane a slight hug, saying that he was glad she had recovered.

After Mr. Jones inquiring how she was feeling, he determined that she was well, and left the home, after informing the three sensible Bennets that he would be back the next day to make sure that Jane was fully well.

As the door shut behind the doctor, Elizabeth looked to the back of the room at Darcy and the Colonel, who appeared to be in a serious conversation. She walked over to the pair, who immediately halted their conversation and smiled at her.

"Miss Elizabeth, I never properly introduced you to my cousin. May I present Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam? Richard, this is Miss Elizabeth Bennet."

The Colonel smiled at her and bowed. "Miss Elizabeth, it is a pleasure to finally meet you at last."

"At last, sir?" she inquired. Richard smiled at his chance to tease Darcy.

"But of course, as my cousin Darcy has been singing your praises in the letters he writes me."

Both Darcy and Elizabeth's faces reddened considerably, and Darcy quickly changed the subject.

"Miss Elizabeth, Richard is staying with us at Netherfield, along with my sister Georgiana."

Elizabeth's face brightened when he mentioned Georgiana's stay in Hertfordshire. "I am very glad, Mr. Darcy, for I have looked forward to meeting your sister. She sounds like a very lovely girl."

Richard cut in and said, "Indeed, she is." Both Darcy and Elizabeth arched an eyebrow at this, Darcy in surprise, and Elizabeth in curiosity. It was not what the Colonel had said that awakened their suspicions, but the tone and manner that he said it in. For the admiration behind his words was very poorly concealed, and the expression on his face even less so.

Darcy narrowed his eyes slightly at his friend. Could Richard, his best friend and most trusted confidant, be harboring romantic feelings towards his sister? Before Darcy was able to think further on the subject, Richard turned to Miss Elizabeth in a serious manner, which reminded Darcy of what all had happened in the past few hours.

"Miss Elizabeth, I dearly hope that you will not think less of Darcy or me when I tell you this, but I am afraid that what we told Mr. Jones about Miss Bennet's injury was, in fact, a lie."

Elizabeth appeared as if she was on the verge of becoming angry as she looked between the cousins. Darcy cut in before she could interrupt; "The reason that we did not tell Mr. Jones the truth was that we did not wish for Miss Bennet's reputation to be tainted, and Richard and I thought that she may want to inform you of what happened herself."

The young woman was rather shocked to hear this, for how could dearest Jane possibly be in a situation with the potential to harm her reputation? Elizabeth had not much more time to be shocked, as the door flew open and Mrs. Bennet, her three youngest daughters, and Mr. Collins all flooded into the room.

"Oh no, my dear Jane! You poor girl! I saw Mr. Jones leave and he told me that you are awake, and I could not stand the thought that you were suffering in here without your mother, but you are alive! For I do not know what we would do with you dead, as when Mr. Bennet dies, none of your other sisters besides Lydia will be attractive enough to secure an offer from a rich man, and OH JANE! Now that you are alive, you may get married to a wealthy man and save us all!"

Elizabeth cut in, once again horrified at her mother's pathetic lack of tact. "That is enough, Mama, we do not want to overwhelm Jane and taint her recovery, do we?"

Mrs. Bennet gasped and backed away from her favorite daughter. "Of course not, you are quite right Lizzy!" She then realized that there was a person in the room that she did not recognize. Mrs. Bennet took one look at Colonel Fitzwilliam's red coat, handsome features, and lack of wedding band on his finger, and went into matchmaker mode.

"Oh hello sir! I did not see you there! Mr. Darcy, do introduce us to your friend! Lydia! Kitty, Mary! Come here you three! I want you to meet Mr. Darcy's friend."

Lydia and Kitty turned around in annoyance, but their expressions brightened as the sight of the handsome man in regimentals. They both hurried over to their mother, Mary walking sullenly behind them.

Darcy groaned inwardly, but managed to keep his composure. Richard, on the other hand, simply grinned, delighted at the attention towards himself.

"Mrs. Bennet, Miss Mary, Miss Catherine, Miss Lydia, Mr. Collins, may I introduce my cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam?"

The ladies curtseyed and Collins and Richard bowed, but it was surprisingly the clergyman who reacted to the introduction first.

"Colonel Fitzwilliam, it is indeed a pleasure to meet you at last. You see, I have been most fortunate to be given the notice of your aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh of Rosings Park. Indeed, the great lady is the patroness of my parsonage in Kent, and she has mentioned you a great deal."

Richard looked surprised, but nodded. "Yes, Aunt Catherine did mention that she had recently hired a new clergyman. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Collins."

"Likewise, sir. I do believe that Lady Catherine said that you are the youngest son of the Earl of Matlock?" The Colonel looked rather awkward at such an obvious attempt to discern his wealth, and nodded in confirmation.

"The Colonel arrived at Netherfield this morning, Mrs. Bennet. My sister Georgiana has joined us as well, and we are expecting my cousin, Thomas Fitzwilliam, to arrive in two days with Mr. Bingley."

"I see," said Mrs. Bennet. She turned to the Colonel. "Colonel Fitzwilliam, I assume that Thomas Fitzwilliam is your brother?"

Richard nodded. "Yes madam, Thomas is my eldest sibling, he is two years my senior." Mrs. Bennet looked overjoyed.

"Indeed, and is he married?" Richard bit back a grin and replied, "No, Thomas and I are both still in the bachelor state of life. He recently returned from a tour of Europe, and I do believe he plans to settle down now that he is back in England."

Darcy shot Richard a quick glare for teasing Mrs. Bennet in this way, but it was not noticed by Mrs. Bennet or her daughters. For there were two young, handsome, and eligible sons of an Earl staying three miles down the road, one of them in regimentals and the other to inherit a large and wealthy Earldom!

The cousins excused themselves from Mrs. Bennet and went over to her two eldest daughters.

"Miss Bennet," Darcy said softly, "do you recall what happened when Richard and I found you?" Jane paled, but nodded.

"I would like to tell my family the truth of what occurred, Mr. Darcy. I would appreciate it if you and the Colonel would stay, as to tell them what happened after I was knocked unconscious."

Darcy and Richard nodded, and Elizabeth, who was dying of curiosity as to what could have possibly occurred that would damage Jane's reputation, urged her to tell her tale.

Jane took a deep breath, and began her tale of woe.

* * *

><p><strong>Two Hours Earlier<strong>

Jane Bennet sighed in discontent as she exited the fabric store. She had wandered around Meryton all morning hoping to take her mind off of Mr. Collins' proposal, but it had not worked. Many times in her life had Jane been slightly envious of Elizabeth's ability to stand up for herself and state her opinion clearly. She was sure that her sister would have been brave enough to say no. For now, Mr. Collins was under the impression that Jane would eventually consent to be his wife.

All she had managed to accomplish that morning was securing a lovely pink ribbon from a shop. With the knowledge that she was not able to focus anymore on shopping today, Jane walked around the shop to the back, where there was a shortcut through the trees to Longbourn.

She was surprised and rather startled to see a man at the back of the building.

"Mr. Wickham," Jane greeted. He turned around and let out a lopsided grin seeing her. "My dear Miss Bennet, I am so very glad to see you." Wickham slurred.

He walked towards her, but he looked like any moment he was going to fall over. _Good Lord, _thought Jane, _he's drunk! _No one of Jane's personal acquaintance had even consumed enough alcohol in Jane's presence to be this drunk, but she had seen a few intoxicated merchants at country dances in Meryton. And it was quite obvious, as George Wickham approached her with a stagger and bloodshot eyes, that he was very drunk indeed.

* * *

><p>"I still do not see why Georgiana feels the need to write to that suitor of hers. He quite clearly only wants her for her wealth," muttered a gentleman as he browsed through the fabric shop with another young man.<p>

Darcy rolled his eyes at his cousin, as he picked up two blue and yellow ribbons. "Richard, we have already discussed this, and I am not going to argue with you anymore. I despise the idea just as much as you do, you know." Richard seriously doubted that, but said nothing.

After the two cousins decided on the blue ribbon, they made their way out to their horses. Darcy and Richard were making idle small talk whilst mounting the steeds, when they both suddenly heard a frightened scream, clearly one of a young woman. The two gentlemen exchanged determined looks, and jumped off of the horses, hurrying to the back of the building, where the shout came from.

* * *

><p>Jane was very concerned. She had never dealt with a drunken man before, but had heard that they could often be violent. With all she knew of Wickham, how pleasant and charming he could be in company, she was not concerned about him being a violent drunk. Jane was wrong.<p>

As Wickham neared her, she tried to act pleasant, and deal with it appropriately. "Mr. Wickham, I think that we should get you back to the militia's quarters, as I think that you are not quite yourself sir."

Wickham scowled. "I'm quite fine, Jane darling."

Jane reprimanded him, "Mr. Wickham, I have not granted you the liberty of calling me by my Christian name."

Suddenly, Jane found Wickham's arm around her waist. "Now Jane, dearest," he growled in her ear, "I have something to tell you. I'm leaving this regiment, me and Lt. Smith are. You can either come with us willingly, or unwillingly. It is your choice." Jane gasped and tried to pull away.

Her escape was hindered by Wickham's mouth crashing onto hers. Jane slammed her fists against his chest and pushed him away, then began to run. She was suddenly grabbed from behind, and let out a terrified scream. Wickham clamped his hand over her mouth, and dragged her towards the front of the building, where Jane saw a carriage waiting.

Jane kicked and tried to scream, but Wickham was, indeed, a very violent drunk, and slapped her on the back of the head for trying to run.

She was pushed to the ground and looked around frantically. Could nobody see what was happening? But nobody could, for she and Wickham were in the narrow alleyway between two windowless shops, and the carriage in front of them was blocking any chance of being seen by a passerby in Meryton. Jane Bennet was trapped.

* * *

><p>Darcy and Fitzwilliam took off running towards the back of the shop when they heard another scream. They reached the back of the building only to see George Wickham drag a terrified Jane Bennet around the corner. The two men exchanged murderous looks, nodded, and ran after them towards the alley leading back to the front of the building.<p>

They made it to the pair to see Jane thrown to the ground by Wickham towering over her. Darcy ran to Wickham and clobbered him on the back of the head as Richard ran to help Jane. What they did not expect, however, was for an officer neither recognized to come up and grab Jane again, and drag her to the carriage. In the process, Jane's dress was ripped. Richard got to the man and socked him in the jaw, only for the man to drop Jane. Her head smacked against the side of the carriage and Jane was knocked unconscious.

Taking down the two soldiers was very easy for the cousins, as they were both extremely drunk. Darcy threw open the door of the carriage only to find that the driver had fled during the fistfight. He swore, and then went out to the town and looked frantically around the street.

He spotted a young boy who was selling newspapers. "You there!" he called.

The boy looked up in surprise. "Yessir?" he said.

"Do you know how to drive a carriage?" asked Darcy hurriedly. The boy looked surprised, but nodded eagerly.

"Yessir, yes I do! Tis' me second job, sir it is." The boy had an awful accent, but Darcy chose to ignore it.

"Do you know where Longbourn Estate is?" The boy nodded again.

"Excellent," said Darcy. "What is your name, boy?"

"Henry, sir." The boy said. "I'm Henry Higgins."

"Well, Henry Higgins, my name is Fitzwilliam Darcy. There is an injured girl over there, and I need you to drive this carriage so that my cousin and I can get her to safety. Can you do that?"

Henry nodded vigorously. He was glad he could be of help to such a kind and rich gentleman.

Darcy gave more instructions. "I need you to drive that carriage as fast as you possibly can, and not stop until we get to Longbourn. As soon as we get there, you will let my cousin, myself, and the lady out, then again as quickly as you can, drive back here to Meryton and fetch the physician, Mr. Jones. Do you know where he resides?" Henry said that he did.

"You're a good lad, Henry. Here is a reward for your greatly needed assistance." Darcy then proceeded to give the boy more money than he had ever held in his hands before.

"Oh thank ya so much, Mister Darcy sir! I won't letcha down, no siree I'll get you to Longbourn quick as can be!"

The boy ran to the carriage with Darcy close behind him, and jumped into the driver's seat and grabbed the reins of the horses. Darcy and Richard carefully put Jane down in the carriage, and Darcy left Wickham and the other man in the alleyway to be found by the police. The carriage suddenly lurched to a start, and sped down the streets of Meryton to Longbourn.

* * *

><p>"Then Miss Bennet was carried into the parlor, and our story ends."<p>

The room sat in silent shock as Darcy finished the tale of Jane's injury. The silence did not last long, however, as it was broken most cruelly by Mr. Collins.

"How dreadful of a tale, and I am exceedingly sorry that it happened to my dear cousin Jane. Given the circumstances, it appears that her reputation has been most mercilessly damaged. Indeed, how could she possibly be respectable now? As I am a clergyman, and honored to have a patroness as elegant as Lady Catherine de Bourgh, I must take a respectable wife. I know Miss Bennet, that you and I had come to an understanding, but indeed, under the dreadful circumstances that your virtue has fallen into, I am afraid that I will have to break the engagement. Do I have your understanding of my situation?"

Most of the occupants in the room were too shocked and horrified at Jane's story to pay attention to Mr. Collins, but Elizabeth and her father had recovered enough to exchange hopeful glances at the news of Collins breaking off his engagement to Jane.

Jane blinked in surprise for a moment, before replying, "Certainly, Mr. Collins. I understand perfectly, and wish you every happiness and felicity in marriage."

Collins smiled. "Thank you, Cousin Jane, thank you indeed." He then turned to Mrs. Bennet and whispered in what he thought was a secretive way, but simply looked to be an invasion of personal space, "I will, however, be picking another one of your daughters to marry, Mrs. Bennet."

Mrs. Bennet merely nodded, and Elizabeth felt relieved that she had not thrown a fit yet. In fact, despite her mother's crying, "oh my poor Jane, my dearest girl," Elizabeth noted no reaction from her at all.

After Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mr. Darcy explained to the rest of the room the no one else in Meryton had any notion of what happened, Lydia and Kitty were forced to promise to Elizabeth that they would tell no one. She was sure they wouldn't, as she told them that if anyone knew, none of the officers or young men in Meryton would even speak with them, and they would be shunned and disgraced by society. The girls had been horrified by the idea; they swore to pretend that nothing had ever happened.

Eventually, Mrs. Bennet complained of a headache and went to bed, and the three youngest Bennet girls, with Mr. Collins following them, retreated to who-knows where. Darcy and the Colonel bid their farewells, and they left as well. Mr. Bennet was the last to leave the parlor, as he went to his study to read in peace.

"Dearest Jane," began Elizabeth after everyone else had left the room, "tell me the truth; how are you feeling about all of this?"

Tears began to form in Jane's eyes. "Oh Lizzy, it was awful. I had never imagined that anyone could be so awful, let alone Mr. Wickham! Please, accept my apology for being such a stubborn fool!"

Elizabeth smiled at her sister. "Jane, you have nothing to be sorry for. From the little Mr. Darcy has told me, I know that you are not the first person to be fooled by his appearance of goodness. I will not accept your apology, for you have nothing to apologize for."

Jane smiled through her tears and hugged her sister. Elizabeth pulled away with a smile.

"I am not sure you heard, but Colonel Fitzwilliam and Georgiana Darcy are staying at Netherfield now. Mr. Darcy tells me that they are also to expect the Colonel's brother, a Mr. Thomas Fitzwilliam, to arrive in two days with Mr. Bingley. Perhaps new acquaintances will help to take your mind off of things."

Her sister smiled widely. "Oh yes, that will be quite lovely. The Colonel seems like a very pleasant man, and I am sure that Miss Darcy and Mr. Fitzwilliam will be just as good company."

Elizabeth smiled, and gave her opinion of the guests. "Colonel Fitzwilliam is, indeed, a very amiable man. He certainly knows how to joke, which makes me eager to further our acquaintance." Elizabeth's expression turned thoughtful. "From something he said in our conversation about Miss Darcy, it sounds as if he may have feelings for her. From Mr. Darcy's expression when this incident occurred, I do believe that it caught him by surprise, and he suspects the same as I."

Jane laughed at her sister's observations. "That is very good to know, Lizzy. I will be sure not to become too attached to the Colonel."

Smiling at Jane's response, Elizabeth hesitantly asked a question that had been on her mind for some time.

"Jane, please forgive my impertinence, but I must know. Were you in love with Mr. Wickham?"

Jane's smile faltered at this, but she was able to say evenly, "No, Lizzy, I was and am not. I did admire him, but I am positive I have never felt love towards him. Not as you feel towards Mr. Darcy."

Shock was all of the response that Jane got from Elizabeth. Finally she was able to ask, "How on earth do you know?"

Her sister smiled softly. "It is rather obvious that the two of you are head over heels for each other. I approve, Lizzy. His good character was proven to me today, and I do not think that a better fit for you could be found anywhere."

Elizabeth was so flustered by this that she excused herself from the room containing Jane's laughter.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So now you know what happened to Jane. :( She's okay though! :) Like I said in the first A/N, if you are a fan of My Fair Lady and would read a one-shot of mine about it, please tell me! I hope you liked this chapter! :)**


	11. A Lovers' Spat

**A/N: I'm working on shorter author's notes. So this is it: I have written two one-shots for the movie/musical My Fair Lady, and they are being posted today as well. Enjoy this chapter of Without the First Couple!**

**RECAP OF WHAT HAPPENED: Jane was nearly kidnapped by Wickham, Collins changed his mind about marrying her because of her "disgrace", and now Jane trusts Darcy. That's about it.**

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><p>Elizabeth was relieved and slightly suspicious to find that Jane was not as drastically affected by Wickham's attempted abduction of her as was expected. She was, obviously, relieved because she did not want Jane to be distressed, but was also extremely surprised that she hardly reacted at all to her near abduction.<p>

_She must not have been half as infatuated with Wickham as we previously thought,_ concurred Elizabeth at first. Upon further investigation, however, she deduced that Jane was doing some serious thinking on her part. Jane was as kind as ever, but was quieter and more thoughtful during mealtimes. After being pressed for an explanation by Elizabeth, Jane admitted that she was doing some serious rethinking of her view of the world. In particular, her tendency to trust everything that could breathe.

Although she did fine work in assuring her sister that it was a strength to find the good in people, Elizabeth admitted to Jane that being more cautious in who she trusted was a good idea, and one that would treat her well in the future.

Jane was content with this answer, and owned to the fact that she had _not _been in love with Mr. Wickham, but was indeed, rather infatuated with. Jane insisted that she was over it, however, and Elizabeth believed her to be mostly honest.

The household had, in fact, almost returned to normal. The only major difference was caused by Mr. Collins.

Mr. Collins had taken the news of Jane's "disgrace and ruin" quite well. Jane herself was relieved that she was no longer in the running to be his future bride, but he simply acted as though it had not happened. True to his word, however, Collins did find a new wife within the Bennet clan.

To the disgust of Elizabeth, Collins proposed to and was accepted by her sister Mary not four hours after Jane regained consciousness. He insisted on the immediate proposal on the terms that his patroness expected them to be married before Christmas. This meant that Mrs. Bennet had less than a month to plan a wedding.

For the average person, this would seem like a great deal, but was not too impossible.

To Mrs. Bennet, it was more than impossible. It was unthinkable.

Since the proposal, Mrs. Bennet had been running about the household like a madwoman, demanding to know which cloths would look best on their table, how much lace Mary's dress would need, and other such trivial matters. Mary herself despised the attention, but the torture would only last until the day before Christmas Eve, when the wedding that would save Mrs. Bennet from the hedgerows would take place.

Elizabeth herself was rather disappointed by the complete silence from Netherfield Park. She understood Darcy's intentions; that he would not wish to overwhelm Jane after such a terrible event. However, neither Darcy nor Elizabeth had thought that Jane would bounce back so easily. Elizabeth was eager to converse with him again as friends, and was even more excited to meet his sister and other cousin.

After two days, Elizabeth decided that she had had enough of waiting for Darcy to come and visit her; therefore she would go visit Caroline Bingley.

_It is rather sad, _Elizabeth mused to herself while preparing to leave for Netherfield, _that the only way for me to visit with a gentleman in his place of residence while abiding to propriety is for me to pretend to visit the lady of the house. _

"Mama," she called, "I am going to visit with Miss Bingley."

Immediately, a head snapped out from the doorway to the parlor.

"Oh no you are not, Miss Lizzy!" Mrs. Bennet said. She exited the doorway and approached her second eldest daughter. "We need you here to help plan for the wedding! Besides, I just saw Miss Bingley in Meryton not ten minutes ago. Now come in here!"

Elizabeth was dragged against her will into the parlor. It appeared that the visit would have to wait.

* * *

><p>Thomas and Mr. Bingley returned from London to find a rather anxious party awaiting them at Netherfield.<p>

"Thomas!" Georgiana cried, running into his arms.

He chuckled. "Georgie, I have hardly been gone a week. Don't pretend that you care enough about me to be so excited?"

She hit him lightly on the arm. "Now stop it. Thomas, Mr. Bingley, I am SO glad you have returned! Fitzwilliam and Richard are acting suspicious; when I try and speak with either of them, they act uncomfortable and leave the room, are continuously having hushed conversations together, will not allow me to meet the Bennets, and refuse to explain their motives! It is all extremely vexing!"

To increase poor Georgiana's vexation, Thomas burst out laughing. She frowned at him in disappointment, and shared a glance with Bingley that confirmed his confusion being equal to hers.

He finally settled down and said, "I apologize for my conduct Georgiana. You simply reminded me of our dear Aunt Catherine."

Georgiana rolled her eyes. "That is quite enough. Come inside, both of you, for I simply do not know what to do with Fitzwilliam and Richard!"

The trio went inside to find Mr. Darcy and the Colonel in the parlor. After greetings were exchanged, Georgiana got straight to the point.

"Fitzwilliam, Richard, I insist on knowing why you will not let me visit the Bennets! You have me quite worried, and I don't like it."

The two exchanged a look, before Darcy turned to Georgiana, Thomas, and Charles, all awaiting explanations.

"It is not a pleasant tale, and I would swear the three of you to secrecy, but I know you are too trustworthy to tell anyone. To put it simply, Mr. Wickham attempted to force himself upon Miss Jane. He is currently in jail, from what I have been brought to understand."

After the gasps of horror and exclamations between the party assembled died down, Darcy turned to Georgiana.

"I am terribly sorry that I did not allow you to visit with the Bennets, but Richard and I agreed that it would be best if we waited to let them recover from their shock before receiving visitors."

Georgiana nodded, but frowned again. "I understand why you would not let me meet them, but you could have at least told me what happened!"

Richard tried to explain. "Georgie, that was my suggestion to your brother. I thought that telling you about what Wickham had done-"

Georgiana cut him off with a stomp of her foot and a loud, "NO! Stop it, Richard, just stop! All of you have been treading so carefully around me since the Wickham incident, and I am sick of it! Despite all my protests, you are under the ignorant assumption that I am still hurt, still broken beyond repair. I am not! I have recovered, I have grown, and I have a right to know what is happening as much as anyone!"

There was a rather surprised and awkward silence, before Richard tried again. "Georgiana, I just thought-"

"I don't care what you thought, Richard! The worst part of this past year has been _you_! I wish that for once, you would stop treating me as a little girl. I wish that for _once_ you would see me as something other than a child who has been forced into your care! I am_ not_ a child anymore, Richard! Almost every other man can see it, so _why cannot you_?"

With that, Georgiana stormed out of the room. The party assembled was shocked speechless. Richard was a deathly pale, and Bingley, Darcy, and Thomas were all staring at him. He coughed awkwardly. Bingley shifted from foot to foot. Darcy and Thomas continued their open-mouthed staring at the Colonel.

Finally, Richard snapped, "I haven't the slightest idea of what that was about, so you can cease with the prying stares." He stormed out of the room as well.

Bingley made some excuse to leave, and went off to the study.

Thomas and Darcy continued to stare at each other, mouths agape.

Finally, after an eternity of failing to digest what had just occurred, Thomas asked the foremost question on all the involved persons' minds; "What the bloody hell just happened?"

"I think," Darcy said slowly, "that my sister harbors romantic feelings towards your brother."

Silence.

"And I do believe, Darcy, that my brother has similar feelings for your sister."

But apparently the action was not over yet, as Darcy and Thomas heard loud footsteps pounding up the stairs, along with shouts. The men both distinctly heard a call of, "Georgiana!" After exchanging a look with his cousin, Darcy gestured for Thomas to follow him out into the hallway.

As they opened the door, the sound of quarreling voices filled the room. Stepping out into the hall, Darcy clearly saw Georgiana and Richard standing on the steps, evidently in the middle of a yelling match.

Something about seeing Georgiana standing three steps above his cousin with fire in her eyes inspired a realization in Darcy. Georgiana had been right; she was a girl no longer. She was a woman. A woman who was (although the sibling relationship between Darcy and Georgiana prevented Darcy from seeing this) attractive enough to bring that dazed look to Richard's eyes.

Darcy snapped himself out of his thoughts and paid attention to the fight between his cousin and sister.

"Richard, even George Wickham had the sense to realize-"

"Don't compare me to Wickham, Georgiana Darcy! Whatever you may have once felt for that _swine_ has nothing to do with me!"

"It has EVERYTHING to do with you, Richard!" Georgiana snapped. "Had you not wondered why I suddenly was interested in Wickham? He had only been in Ramsgate for a few weeks before the intended elopement. I had not seen him in years, and was much too young to even be his _friend_ when we were children at Pemberley!"

Richard looked baffled. "But if you hadn't- then why- what?"

Georgiana rolled her eyes and replied harshly, "It was because of you! You had been in London with me for three months, and were cold and distant towards me the entire time after that first, wonderful month! Wickham was kind and obliging, and gave me attentions that _you_ never would!"

"So you risked throwing away your entire future just for a little attention? Was that it, Georgiana?" Richard said in evident frustration. "You were willing to ruin your life just because I didn't dote on your every need? Has it never occurred to you that it may not be considered appropriate for your guardian who is twelve years your senior to openly court you? That if I showed anything I felt towards you-"

Richard seemed to realize what he was saying when he looked up at Georgiana's confused face. "That is to say," he quickly tried to correct himself, "_if_ I had felt anything-"

Had either Darcy or Thomas not been completely and utterly shell-shocked, both of them would have burst into laughter at their friend's struggling, but as it was, the duo was too flabbergasted to respond accordingly.

"The point is," Richard began again, his face flushing with embarrassment, "you had no right to go striving for the attentions of any man, let alone someone as poor and desperate as Wickham! Do you not understand how you appeared as, Georgiana? A young, beautiful, and extremely wealthy woman who would gladly accept the attentions of any-"

Georgiana interrupted him, her eyes filled with unshed teardrops. "I had no right? Who are you to tell me what my rights are! I had been shunned and ignored by you, the man I wished so desperately would care for me. I arrived at Ramsgate feeling heartbroken and unworthy. What was I to do when a handsome young man who I used to be acquainted with offered me his love? I thought that it would fill the gap that your lack of love brought to me! Love was all I wanted; when it was given to me, was it so wrong of me to accept that love?"

"Yes, it was!" Richard said in a voice of exasperation. "Don't you understand? He could have HURT you! He did hurt you, in one of the worst ways possible! And I wasn't there to help you!"

"I don't need your help, Richard! I didn't need your help." She replied wearily. "I just wanted- I just want-" Georgiana burst into tears.

Richard's expression softened from his angry glare. "Georgiana, darling, I am sorry." He tried to put a comforting hand on her arm, but she pushed him away. "Please…"

"Make up your mind, Richard," Georgiana said coldly. "You can either treat me as a little girl, or the 'young, beautiful woman' that you claimed I was mere moments ago. But I will not accept being toyed with by you, acting as if I am both."

Richard gaped. "I have not been 'toying' with you, Georgiana!"

"Then what have you been doing? Do you even know how you feel towards me?"

Once it was clear that Richard had no answer, Georgiana turned around and went up the stairs emotionlessly. Only from their vantage point next to the stairs could Darcy and Thomas see the silent tears cascading down her face.

Richard stared after her for a moment, before slowly sitting down on the middle of the staircase in Netherfield Park and put his head in his hands.

Thomas whispered to Darcy, "How could such a small argument have gotten so out of hand?

Darcy shook his head, and the men went over to Colonel Fitzwilliam. They carefully sat down next to him, and remained silent.

"She is completely right, as always." Richard's voice, hoarse from yelling and thick with what Darcy surmised to be grief, broke the silence a few minutes later.

"What was I supposed to do? I hadn't seen her in over a year due to military service, and when she ran up to hug and welcome me, she suddenly wasn't fourteen anymore." Richard let out a grim chuckle.

"Darcy, I apologize for my bluntness, but you have an extremely attractive sister." Darcy glared slightly by default, but nodded none the less.

"What the proper course to take when I realized that I was desperately in love with my fifteen year old cousin who I happened to be the guardian of? I tried distancing myself from her. I had to conceal my feelings, positive that they could only be met with disgust at the fact that a 27 year old man who she had known all her life was attracted to, nay, in love with her."

"I hate to interrupt, brother, but seeing as Wickham is a year older than you, and the same scenario was presented in that case, Georgiana obviously would not be disgusted by your feelings." Thomas pointed out.

Richard glared at him half-heartedly. "That is different. I decided to drop the stony façade when we went back to London after Ramsgate, but I didn't realize I was encouraging her to feel anything for me. If I had, I would not have been so…"

At his brother's apparent loss for words, Thomas helpfully supplied him with, "Agreeable? Forward? Flirtatious?" he leaned forward and mock-whispered, "_Seductive?_"

Both of the other men hit him.

"That is my sister you are talking about, Thomas!"

"Are you out of your blasted mind? I am NOT that kind of man!"

Thomas just laughed. "Relax, you two. I was only teasing."

Richard glared. Again. "I mean that if I had known she would come to… care for me in that way, I would have never encouraged or shown any attentions."

Darcy asked in surprise, "Why the devil not? Although I despise the idea of Georgiana being of interest to any man, as it had to happen eventually, I am glad it is you. And she clearly loves you back, so I do not see the problem with you going to tell her how you feel at this moment."

"It is just, my military ties…"

"You and I both know that your father would provide you with a large living once you decide to marry. It would be more than enough for you to live comfortably without your commission. Besides, Georgiana has a large endowment upon her marriage, so if money is still a problem-"

"It's not that simple, Darcy!" Richard snapped. "She is young, I am old. She is rich, I am poor. She has at least thirty different suitors awaiting her in London, and I am no match for any of them! She would grow to despise me for tying her down at so young an age, before she could even experience the world! Before she could meet other men! I will not do that to her. I refuse to watch the loathing and disappointment fill her eyes when she realizes that a teenage infatuation has ruined her life."

Richard abruptly stood and went down the steps, leaving through the front door just as Caroline Bingley was opening it.

"Hello Colonel Fitzwilliam, I hope you had a pleasant-" the door was slammed behind her. "Morning."

Miss Bingley shook her head, evidently trying to dispel the incident from her mind.

"Mr. Darcy, Mr. Fitzwilliam, how are you?"

"Fine," the cousins chorused, already leaving the hall to go to the library.

As they shut the door behind them, Darcy said, "Let us make a list of everything we have learned."

"Agreed," replied Thomas.

Darcy began pacing.

"Georgiana is in love with Richard."

"Richard is in love with Georgiana."

"Neither of them understands the blessed simplicity of their situation."

"They are determined to make these affairs of the heart forty times more difficult than necessary."

"Georgiana has somehow developed a backbone over time past since I have seen her."

"My brother has a very big problem with insecurities."

"Georgiana has suitors in London that I must… deal with."

"It is very simple to begin an argument with one silly topic and end on a larger-than-life one."

"Your brother is an extremely daft man."

"Darcy," said Thomas, "I do believe that we are missing the big problem."

Darcy thought for a moment, before shrugging. "I cannot think of anything. What is it, Thomas?"

"Richard has inadvertently called you and I old."

"…. Indeed."

An abrupt cough was heard from directly behind them. Thomas and Darcy spun around; prepared to deny everything they had just covered, but relaxed upon seeing that it was only Bingley.

"Do we need to fill you in on anything else, Charles?" Darcy asked.

Bingley replied awkwardly, "No, I believe I have the gist of what is going on. I would only suggest to Richard and Georgiana to yell more softly next time, as they are very lucky that my sisters and Mr. Hurst were not at home."

He then left the room.

Hoping to break Darcy's thoughtful and stoic gaze, Thomas inquired, "How do you yell softly?"

Darcy had no idea.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oooh, drama! Let's get popcorn! I know that there has been a bit of a standstill on Darcy and Elizabeth's romantic feelings, but trust me, there will be more of that coming! Along with more… **_**drama.**_** Reviews encourage lots of buttery popcorn with our drama!**

**IMPORTANT: In case you were thinking, "What? Georgiana can yell? So OOC!", here's my explanation: Instead of how Jane Austen made Georgiana even more weak/shy because of the Wickham incident at Ramsgate, I decided to make her grow as a person because of it. I personally think that it could go either way, but for the purpose of this story, I decided that Georgiana would get stronger and develop a backbone.**

**Review! And check out my new My Fair Lady one-shots if you are interested in that movie/musical! (So much for a short author's note…)**


	12. At Long Last

**A/N: … Hi again. I'm back, and alive, and very, very sorry for how long I've been gone. I don't actually have a reason for being gone, I just… was. The reason I forced myself to get back into this story was that some awesome people started reviewing again and PMing me about how they wanted this to continue. YAY FOR AWESOME PEOPLE WHO GUILT TRIP ME INTO WRITING THINGS! Yeah. So, here's a new chapter of Without the First Couple!**

**Since you probably forgot what this story's actually about, here's a RECAP:**

**Bingley and Jane were never attracted to/ in love with each other. Darcy and Elizabeth are good friends, and have recently realized that they are in love with each other, but don't know the other's feelings. Jane was then being courted by Collins, but fell for Wickham who tried and failed to kidnap her. Collins proposed to Mary and was accepted. Georgiana, Col. Richard Fitzwilliam, and Richard's oldest brother Thomas recently came to visit at Netherfield. It turns out Georgiana (who developed a backbone since Ramsgate) and Richard have feelings for each other, and they just had a really big bad argument about it that has left them really mad at each other. So… yeah. You could probably just reread the chapters if you want.**

**Disclaimer: I just turned fourteen a few months ago. So I wasn't exactly alive when Pride and Prejudice was written. So it's not mine. David Tennant is also not mine. Neither is the iPhone 5. Or 4s. Or 4. Or any iPhone at all. Sadly. So… yeah.**

* * *

><p>"Ah, Cousin Elizabeth! Cousin Elizabeth! Could I have a word, please?"<p>

Elizabeth turned to her future brother-in-law in annoyance, but forced a smile upon her face.

"I am afraid, Mr. Collins, that I do not quite have time for a word. We are about to go and visit Mr. Darcy's relatives at Netherfield, and I was just walking out the door." _And I have been waiting for this visit since I discovered that they were there, and your rambling is not quite worth waiting another moment for it. _

Mr. Collins' eyes widened comically, and for a moment she feared that she had spoken her thoughts aloud, but her panic was eased when he said, "Of course, not, Cousin Elizabeth! I would never dare to keep waiting the relatives of Lady Catherine de Bourgh!" It occurred to Elizabeth to mention that since it was merely an afternoon visit, the Netherfield party had no idea that they were even coming, and she did not know if Darcy's cousins actually were on Lady Catherine's side of the family, but then decided that a pointless argument with Mr. Collins could take even longer than whatever he wanted to speak with her about would, and she was silent.

"Cousin Elizabeth, would you do me the greatest favor of delivering this invitation to either Mr. Darcy or Mr. Bingley? It is a formal invitation to my wedding. Please inform the recipient that all the guests of Netherfield, Mr. Darcy's relatives included, are invited to the humble affair. For humble it may be, the company it includes are not. For I have received word that Lady Catherine de Bourgh, with the knowledge that her niece and nephews are in town, is planning to attend the wedding! My dear Mary and I are so delighted. That is why the two of us are headed into town on this fine day, you see, and unfortunately visit the esteemed Darcys and Fitzwilliams with you. We are picking out different types of tablecloths to be used at the wedding, for Lady Catherine demands perfection and excellence at all public affairs, and-"

"That is lovely, Mr. Collins," Elizabeth interrupted with a short laugh of exasperation, which was, as usual, unnoticed by Mr. Collins. She was also somewhat irked by the fact the her generally clueless cousin seemed to know more about Mr. Darcy's relatives than she did.

"I will make sure to deliver this to either Mr. Darcy or Mr. Bingley, and pass your message on to him. Good luck with your table cloth shopping."

And before Mr. Collins had the chance to humbly thank her for the service, and how could he have been so lucky to have a cousin as useful as her?, Elizabeth walked out the door.

* * *

><p>"MR. BENNET! How can you possibly be reading at a time like this? The wedding is less than a month away and here you've been, holed up in your study all week? Why don't you do something productive, such as helping me plan it! All the prominent families of Meryton are to be invited and we have not had a proper wedding in <em>ages<em>, so it had better be a good one!"

Roll eyes. Finish paragraph. Bookmark book. Put book on desk. Stretch. Lay back in chair for approximately twenty seconds. Listen to the second appeal for his presence. Yell back. Get up. Leave.

Mr. Bennet knew the routine for when his wife interrupted his reading time like the back of his hand. He decided that it may not be wise to point out that he had been holed up in his study for the majority of the past twenty years, for it may inspire cruel and unusual punishment for the next two decades.

As he entered the parlor, he had expected to find young women scurrying about every which way (which was perfectly ridiculous, as they still had a little over three weeks, the time for scurrying was at least two weeks away). Mr. Bennet was then pleasantly surprised to find only his wife sitting in the parlor, comparing two bonnets.

"Where have all the other silly women gone?" he asked casually. Mrs. Bennet shot him a nasty look, but replied, "Mary and Mr. Collins have gone to town to shop for heaven knows what, and the rest of the girls have gone off to Netherfield to meet Mr. Darcy's sister and his other cousin. Apparently the other cousin is the oldest son of an Earl, Mr. Bennet, can you believe it! And Miss Darcy has been said to be Lydia's age, what a wonderful friendship that would be for her! With Miss Darcy's help, Lydia, and maybe even Kitty could be admitted to all the balls and parties in town. Oh, won't it be wonderful! And with our Lizzy snagging Mr. Darcy, we will be set in stone! And after you die, Mr. Bennet, the house will remain ours to reside in thanks to dear Mary and dear Mr. Collins! Oh, Mr. Bennet, I am so happy!"

Although Mr. Bennet had, by default, tuned out the majority of Mrs. Bennet's speech, he did listen to her declaration of joy. He smiled. "I am very glad to hear it, my dear."

And he was. For although time may have worn his patience with his wife thin, Mr. Bennet still felt a great deal of affection for her, and merely desired her happiness, which it seemed with a daughter finally getting married, she was able to achieve.

"Now, Mr. Bennet, which bonnet would go best with my mauve dress for the wedding? This one or that one?" Mrs. Bennet held up two bonnets to her husband.

Mr. Bennet simply smiled at her, kissed her hand, and replied, "You will look lovely in either one, my dear." Then he left the room.

As the door closed behind her husband, Mrs. Bennet smiled.

* * *

><p>Thomas and Darcy would later agree in private that even a French invasion of Hertfordshire would be as welcome a diversion as the arrival of four of the Bennet sisters was. The gentlemen had spent the past day listening to their respective siblings argue to no end.<p>

Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy, Thomas, Richard, and Georgiana were all conjugated in the parlor where there had been four spats between Richard and Georgiana broken up by Thomas and Darcy in the past half hour. Bingley was already feeling a considerable level of awkwardness when Georgiana looked up from her book to ask, "Brother? Will you help me with this passage? I am afraid I do not quite understand what the author is referring to."

The Colonel muttered from the opposite side of the room, "That is not the only thing that you don't understand."

Several things happened at once.

Georgiana narrowed her eyes and held Richards glare for approximately two seconds before they both stood up, signaling the beginning of another quarrel. Thomas let out a large sigh of exasperation. Darcy sank back into his seat and ran a tired hand through his hair. Bingley immediately stood up and began to excuse himself.

Then an eruption of sound came from both Georgiana and Richard's mouths that drowned out any excuse Bingley could have made.

"And you are the one who calls me a child! There you are, a man who has seen the world, sulking in the back corner and making stupid comments like an indignant schoolboy!"

"I'm the child? You can't even work your way through Shakespeare without needing the assistance of your elder brother!"

"At least I am not afraid to express myself when I have something that I want or need, no matter how silly it may sound!"

"I thought it didn't need saying! You, obviously, need everything spelled out in front of you like an ignorant five year old!"

"It always needs saying Richard! You can't just ignore something that-"

The butler had inadvertently stopped an argument before it had a chance to start when he announced to the Netherfield parlor that they had visitors.

While Bingley excused the man who was eyeing the two arguing cousins with an increasing level of concern, Georgiana and Richard exchanged one final glare as they both crossed their arms and looked in opposite directions.

As the residents of the parlor stood in anticipation of their guests, Thomas muttered to Darcy, "Good God, they really are like children."

Darcy nodded, but addressed his sister and other cousin. "Will the both of you please attempt to act like reasonable adults while the Bennets are here? Some of us actually want to make a good impression."

At this, Richard and Georgiana snickered, but instantly looked at each other and glared when they discovered that the other was doing the same.

Darcy shook his head in disbelief, but was sufficiently distracted as the door opened. For a moment he panicked as he was unable to locate Elizabeth, but she entered the room last and shot him a rather brilliant smile, if he did say so himself, and his doubts were forgotten.

Bingley greeted his guests, then motioned for Darcy to come forward and introduce his relatives.

"Hello Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, Miss Catherine, Miss Lydia. It is a pleasure to see you, as always. May I introduce you to my relatives who arrived earlier this week?"

Jane stepped forward and replied with a smile, "Certainly, Mr. Darcy."

He nodded as Georgiana, Richard, and Thomas stepped forward. "This is my sister, Georgiana, my cousin Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, as you previously met, and his brother, Mr. Thomas Fitzwilliam."

As the three of them bowed and curtsied in greeting, Bingley introduced the sisters. "And I have the honor of introducing the three of you to Miss Jane Bennet, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, Miss Catherine Bennet, and Miss Lydia Bennet." The girls curtsied.

"It is lovely to see you all again," Bingley said with a large smile directed at one of the Bennet sisters. "Please, do be seated."

The party who had already been in the parlor took their seats, and the Bennets, after a moment of each young lady quickly analyzing which seat would be most beneficial, followed.

Lydia instantly sat herself down next to the Colonel, and was instantly followed by Kitty. Jane took a seat between Bingley and Thomas and began to converse with the two gentlemen. Darcy eagerly watched to see whether Elizabeth would take the place which, in all their former social gatherings, had belonged to her, next to him. She did, and strategically placed herself on the side of Darcy that would allow her to speak with Georgiana just as easily.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, Miss Elizabeth. I hope you are well?" It was, in fact, a very great pleasure: the last time he had seen her she had been too distressed over her sister Jane to bother with any of their usual friendly banter, and the tension in the Netherfield household over the past day and a half had led him to focus on other things rather than his feelings for his female companion. The feelings which were so greatly obvious to him at this moment, for she was wearing a green dress that was a favorite of his, for it brought out the prominent green in her eyes, and-

"I am, thank you. And yourself?" Darcy blinked himself out of his thoughts with a rather loud and rude, "What?"

Georgiana burst into a bit of a coughing fit, trying to calm her laughter. Darcy flushed a bright red as Elizabeth repeated herself slowly in confusion.

"Oh, I am very well, thank you." He replied quickly, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Georgiana regained control as Elizabeth shook her head at the strange exchange and turned to her.

"Miss Darcy, it is a pleasure to meet you at last," Elizabeth said warmly. Darcy snapped his head to attention, closely evaluating the discourse between the two ladies, eager for them to get along.

"And you as well, Miss Elizabeth. I have heard so much about you from my brother and Mr. Bingley." Georgiana replied, taking a sly glance at her brother.

Elizabeth glanced at him in surprise. "Have you? Only good things, I would hope?" she asked with a teasing smile which hid truly nervous emotions.

"Of course," Georgiana replied fondly. "From what I have heard, I think that we shall be great friends already!"

Elizabeth smiled at the younger girl. "Indeed, Miss Darcy, I believe that we shall."

Later on, there was a bit of an alteration in seating as some food arrived for the young people to snack on.

Over grapes, Elizabeth was introduced to Thomas. She found that she quite liked him, and he was quite similar to his brother. Both gentlemen were tall in stature, with unruly brown hair that was a lighter hair than Mr. Darcy's. While the latter mentioned gentleman possessed a head of dark curly hair, the Fitzwilliam brothers had lighter brown hair that stuck up in the front at odd ends. While in someone such as Mr. Collins, this would provide a most unfavorable impression, on the Fitzwilliams it simply made them look more handsome.

The brothers both found Elizabeth to be a very interesting companion, and the three of them all privately thought to themselves that they would get along charmingly.

As Thomas was relating a humorous antidote from his and Richard's youth, Elizabeth was unfortunate enough to overhear Lydia complementing Miss Darcy on her dress.

"Oh Miss Darcy, I simply love your gown! The fabric is simply beautiful, is it not, Kitty?" Kitty nodded in awe and agreement.

Georgiana replied gracefully, "Thank you, Miss Lydia. It was a present from my cousin while I was recently in town, actually." She took on a rather thoughtful expression, and then glanced at Richard, who was intently looking at her. They both quickly looked away.

Lydia, unfortunately, did not miss this exchange. "Oh, it was a present from the _Colonel, _was it? Oh, that is just so lovely of him! He must care about you an awful lot, you know, to pay for such an expensive looking fabric. And this isn't even a ball gown! I wish I could have a dress such as the likes of that, Miss Darcy. All I have got is this droll old thing," she announced, twirling around the fabric at the skirt of her dress.

Elizabeth felt her face heating up as she noted Georgiana's uncomfortable expression. She glanced quickly at Darcy to see if he had noticed, but was relieved to find him conversing with Jane and Bingley on the opposite side of the room, none of whom bore witness to the embarrassing scene at all. She tried to force herself to focus on Thomas' story, and could see that Richard was attempting to do the same while sneaking glances at Miss Darcy, which she suspected he had been doing even before Lydia began speaking, but all Elizabeth could hear was Lydia's voice.

On the opposite side of the room, Lydia sighed wistfully. "If only a handsome Colonel would buy _me_ expensive courting gifts like that. Just imagine, Kitty!"

Then, with an expression of puzzlement at Georgiana, who was growing increasingly red and refusing to make eye contact with anyone, Lydia asked loudly and in disbelief, "Don't tell me that you and the Colonel aren't courting! I've seen all the looks that the two of you have been sharing, and only courting and married couples look at each other like that!"

The way that Thomas continued to tell his story even louder made it painstakingly obvious to Elizabeth that he had heard every word of what Lydia had said, and a look at Darcy's side of the room showed her that he, Bingley and Jane were all standing about in awkwardness brought to light the fact that they had heard as well. Jane then asked Mr. Bingley deliberately, "And where are Miss Bingley and the Hursts this afternoon, Mr. Bingley? I hope that they are well."

Bingley gracefully took the hint and replied loudly, "Yes, they are quite well! My sisters and Mr. Hurst left for Meryton earlier this afternoon, I'm afraid you just missed them."

"Ah," said Jane, "My sister Mary and her fiancé, Mr. Collins, are shopping in Meryton today for tablecloths to use at their upcoming wedding."

Darcy was sufficiently enough interested by this news to tear his eyes from his distressed sister, who was still sitting beside Lydia and Kitty, the two whom were already gossiping about who knows what, and ask, "When did they become engaged?"

"Oh!" Jane exclaimed. "I suppose you would not know. My sister and Mr. Collins became engaged shortly after you and the Colonel left Longbourn earlier this week."

The three of them then proceeded to discuss wedding plans, although the true attentions of all three were focused on the nearly tangible tension on the side of the room which held their respective cousins, siblings, and houseguests.

The mentioned cousins, siblings, and houseguests, were in a state of disarray. Lydia and Kitty chatted about the scandal between one of the militiamen and a maid from down the road that had become public knowledge weeks after the fact, not noticing their new friend's discomfort at the assumptions made to her supposed courtship with her cousin. Thomas continued to tell his story, and Elizabeth had just enough mind to comment when appropriate, but the thoughts of them both were on the awkwardness regarding Georgiana and Lydia, and their eyes silently voiced the thoughts that the other was sharing. Richard had given up all pretense of listening to his brother, and was regarding Georgiana with a scrunched brow and an air of thoughtfulness which was uncommon in such an easygoing man.

Eventually, everyone's suffering was put at ease as Elizabeth and Jane excused their family, as they had been there for over an hour.

After an entire visit of separation and awkwardness, Elizabeth finally found an excuse to converse with Darcy, if not while she was preparing to leave.

"My cousin Mr. Collins asked for me to deliver this to you and the Bingleys, Mr. Darcy. He asked me to inform you that everyone in the house, including your visiting relatives, is invited to his wedding."

She spoke with an undercurrent of mirth that could not but make Darcy smile. "Of course, Miss Elizabeth. Give him my thanks on behalf of myself and the rest of the Netherfield party."

Elizabeth smiled and nodded, and then took on a rather uncomfortable expression as she began, "Mr. Darcy, I am afraid I have to apologize on behalf of my sister Lydia. She should not have interrogated your sister so, and I am terribly afraid that we have made a bad impression on your family for it."

But he only shook his head and held up his hand to signal her to stop, with a little smile on his face. "Never apologize for something that is out of your control, Miss Elizabeth. I do not blame you and your sisters for it, and I am positive that none of my family members do either."

He looked over at Georgiana and Richard, who, amidst saying goodbyes to the Bennets, kept sneaking glances at each other when the other was not looking.

"In fact, between you and me, I believe it may have done more help than harm." Elizabeth raised her eyebrows at his cryptic sentence, but then looked over at Georgiana and Richard as well. She turned to Darcy with an amused expression, and he nodded, wordlessly affirming her silent question.

Elizabeth let out a laugh, a laugh so joyous that it reminded Darcy just who she was to him; quite possibly his best friend, and most definitely the woman he loved.

"I hope you have a safe journey home, Miss Elizabeth," he said.

Elizabeth covered up her momentary flutter of the heart with a laugh. "It is only about three miles to Longbourn from here, Mr. Darcy. I am sure we shall triumph any trials that choose to befall us."

Darcy looked at her with an intense emotion in his eyes. "None the less…" he bowed to her, and, in a moment of impulse, kissed her hand.

As he straightened up, he did not quite miss the distinctive blush and smile on her face, and he certainly did not miss the feeling of elation sent through him at her pleasure in his little attentions.

With a curtsey from Elizabeth and an exchange of smiles, they parted ways.

On the carriage ride home, as Lydia and Kitty bickered about bonnets and Jane attempted to break up their fight, Elizabeth could not help but think that despite everything, the visit had went quite well.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: TA DA! There it was! PLEASE review: honestly, the reviews I have received in the past month have been the only reason I continued this story. The lesson? REVIEW AND I WILL WRITE ANOTHER CHAPTER MUCH SOONER THAN THIS ONE!**

**For anyone that can draw: Is anybody interested in making an image for this story? Any art will be considered, since I am completely unartistic. I am open to any ideas, so if you are interested, PM me!**

**ALSO! I now have a Tumblr, and am 10roseofgallifrey. I mostly post Doctor Who related things, but also have posted some Lizzie Bennet Diaries related things and it would be nice if you followed me! *winkwinknudgenudge*. Don't ignore the blatant self-advertising.**


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